Critical discussion of the current environmental risk assessment (ERA) of veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) in the European Union, considering changes in animal husbandry

Environmental Sciences Europe

Table 1 Predominant exposure routes of veterinary medicines in terrestrial key livestock species

Species	Slurry application			Grazing animals			Loss at application/exposure outdoors			Direct entry into water^a
Species	VMP^b	IM^c	A^d	VMP^b	IM^c	A^d	VMP^b	IM^c	A^d	VMP^b	IM^c	A^d
Cattle	x	x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x	x	x
Pigs	x	x	x								x
Horses and ponies	x	x	x	x	x	x					x	x
Sheep and goats		x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x^e	x
Poultry	x	x	x			x			x		x	x

Checkmarks illustrate that the exposure route is considered to be relevant in husbandry systems for this species
^aDirect entry into water can be through direct excretion, loss from the fleece/hide, or direct entry of the veterinary medicine
^bOriginal VMP guideline Table 1 [22]
^cIM: initial model of Montforts [21]
^dAuthors’ suggestion for an update
^eApplicable only to sheep