Analysis of antimicrobial agents in animal feed

We review current trends in the analysis of antimicrobial agents in animal feeds. After a brief introduction to feed-industry figures and the unavoidable problem of cross-contamination, we provide an overview of the European Union legislative framework for feedingstuffs. We devote the core of the article to analytical methodology developed over the past 10 years for monitoring residues of antibiotics and coccidiostats in feedingstuffs in order to ensure that feeds comply with current legislation and are of high quality and safety for both livestock and consumers. We consider the potential and the limitations of analytical methods and devote special attention to their validation and performance characteristics.