Abstract


       The use of veterinary drugs as growth promoters in feed for farm animals and aquaculture is illegal in the European Union. Given the impact that these administered substances may have for consumers´ health, the EU established a regulation for all member countries that corresponds to the desire to protect the public health. 
       The ban for the use of such growth promoters created a black market at an European level that required a strict and systematic control for its detection. Veterinary drugs most used in these fraudulent cases are those with an anabolic, hormonal or thyrostatic effect.
       The main goal of this work consists of the development of rapid analytical methods and the evaluation of its application as screening techniques for the sanitary control of veterinary substances and growth promoters in farm animals. More specifically, protocols for rapid and specific analysis are developed for residues of ß-agonists (clenbuterol and mabuterol) resorcycilic acid lactones (zeranol), antibacterial (carbadox), antithyroid agents (methyl thiouracil), and corticosteroids (dexamethasone) in samples of drinking water, urine and feed of various animal species. 	
       Immunological methods have been used due to their specificity, rapid processing time and large number of samples that may be performed simultaneously. The high resolution liquid chromatography has also been a very effective tool for the detection of several substances in a relatively short period of time. 
       All the developed and optimised methods for the analysis of analytes in their respective matrices have shown good stability and robustness and have been validated according to the current normative affecting to all European Union member countries. All these methods have been validated according to Decision 2002/657/EC.