RISK-BASED SAMPLING VERSUS RANDOM SAMPLING FOR MONITORING TETRACYCLINE RESIDUES IN SLAUGHTERED CALVES IN SWITZERLAND

摘要

In European countries, chemical residues are routinely monitored in slaughtered animals EU requirements advise member countries partially to target their sampling in order to increase the likelihood of finding residues. The objective of this study wasto assess the efficacy of a risk-based sampling approach compared with random sampling for the monitoring of tetracycline residues in calves. A stochastic model including real data as well as expert opinion was developed. It demonstrated that the risk-based approach increased the efficacy of the monitoring programme by up to 100% compared with random sampling. The greatest benefit of risk-based sampling was observed when the prevalence of contamination was low in the population. The resources saved through the risk-based sampling can be used to improve the quality of the information on risk factors. With this information, the model can be further improved as better estimates of the parameters become available.