Antibiotics are being blocked from the table: livestock products are being tested according to new standards.
Effective January 11, 2026, meat and dairy safety requirements in the Eurasian Economic Union countries have become significantly more stringent. These regulations directly affect livestock producers and strengthen oversight of the use of veterinary drugs.
New norms instead of a transition period
A transition period was in effect until January 10, allowing manufacturers to adapt to the updated requirements. On January 11, the standards came into full effect and were enshrined in the EAEU technical regulations. They establish maximum permissible residue levels for 75 veterinary drugs and active ingredients in meat and dairy products.
The aim of the changes is to improve the safety of animal products and standardize approaches within the Union. Monitoring of drug residues will now be more systematic and formalized.
Strict restrictions on antibiotics
The updated regulations significantly tighten requirements for a number of common medications. For example, the content of amoxicillin—one of the most commonly used antibiotics in livestock farming—in meat must not exceed 0.05 mg per kilogram of product.
Similar restrictions apply to other substances as well, requiring manufacturers to more strictly adhere to product release dates and properly plan veterinary interventions on farms.
Responsibilities of manufacturers
The new regulations affect not only laboratory testing but also document flow. When releasing products, manufacturers are required to provide information on veterinary drugs used within the last two months. This increases the transparency of the production chain and facilitates compliance verification.
The regulated list of maximum permissible levels is intended to eliminate previous contradictions in requirements and provide clear guidance for both veterinary drug manufacturers and food industry enterprises.
Comparison with international standards
According to experts, the new EAEU regulations are in some cases stricter than current European standards. At the same time, the unified list of maximum permissible limits reduces legal uncertainty and simplifies operations within the union's common market.
The tightening of requirements is expected to increase producer responsibility and provide additional incentive for the implementation of more precise and safe practices in animal husbandry.