EN
Coccidiostats are widely used in veterinary medicine the for prevention and treatment of coccidiosis, especially in poultry. Most of them are registered as feed additives and not all of them have maximum residue limits (MRL) established. They are approved for use in food producing animals, but not in laying birds and animals prior to slaughter. Human errors, mainly feed contamination during manufacturing and not respecting withdrawal periods are the main reasons for the occurrence of residues in food of animal origin. Nicarbazin residues may also be caused by its recycling. During the past several years many authors have reported violative residues of coccidiostats (mainly ionophore antibiotics and nicarbazin) in a significant number of eggs and tissue samples. Therefore it is necessary to introduce legal regulations and administrative tools allowing better execution of the prohibition of coccidiostats use in laying hens and broilers prior to slaughter. Regular official control of feedstuffs is also required.