Veterinary Drug explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Clause (4) of regulation 2.3.2 contains a long Table of tolerance limits, in mg/kg, for antimicrobials and other drugs used in veterinary practices, against named animal foods such as muscle, liver, kidney, fat, milk and eggs. It has 49 serial numbers in the compendium, from Ampicillin to Zinc Bacitracin. Dairies and poultry processors can get residue reports mapped to it through FSSAI compliance support.
This article reads the text as amended up to 14 May 2026 (FSSAI Compendium Version IX dated 03.02.2026, consolidated to the notification of 17 October 2024; the Amendment Regulations, 2026 of 14 May 2026 apply from 1 December 2026). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in.
The antimicrobials and other drugs in column (2) shall not exceed the tolerance limit in column (4) for the article of food in column (3). Limits are in mg/Kg. A drug has one serial number and many food lines, grouped by animal such as cattle, pig, sheep, chicken or poultry. A line such as "All edible animal tissues except in fish" covers tissues generally. From 1 December 2026 a seafood entry is added at serial 45 (Trimethoprim) and a new serial 50 (Oxolinic acid) is inserted. Dairies, meat and poultry processors, aquaculture exporters and laboratories are affected.
How the Table is built
Clause (4) opens: the antimicrobials and other drugs used in veterinary practices specified in column (2) shall not exceed the tolerance limit specified in column (4) for the article of food in column (3). The Table has four columns.
| Column | Heading | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | Serial No. | the number of the drug |
| (2) | Antimicrobials and other drugs used in veterinary practices | the drug name |
| (3) | Food | the animal and the tissue or product |
| (4) | Tolerance limit (mg/Kg) | the figure for that line |
The food column does most of the work. A food line may be a general phrase, such as "All edible animal tissues except in fish" followed by "Fats derived from animal tissues" and "Milk", with one figure printed against the group. It may be a species heading (Cattle, Pig, Sheep, Goat, Chicken, Poultry, Finfish) followed by tissue lines such as Muscle, Liver, Kidney, Fat, Fat or skin, Milk and Eggs, each with its own figure.
Sample entries exactly as printed (tolerance limit in mg/Kg)
| Serial | Drug | Food line | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ampicillin | Finfish | 0.05 |
| 2 | Amprolium | Cattle, Kidney, Liver, Muscle | 0.5 |
| 2 | Amprolium | Poultry, Egg | 7.0 |
| 5 | Amoxicillin | Cattle, Milk | 0.004 |
| 7 | Chlortetracycline or Oxytetracycline or Tetracycline | Cattle, Kidney | 1.2 |
| 8 | Ceftiofur | Cattle, Milk | 0.1 mg/l |
| 47 | Virginiamycin | Poultry and egg | 0.01 |
| 49 | Zinc Bacitracin (minimum 60IU/mg dried substance) | Milk | 0.1 |
Two details are visible in these rows. The ceftiofur milk line carries its own unit, "mg/l", so a unit printed in the cell overrides the column heading. And several drugs, such as serial 3 (Apramycin) and serial 6 (Cloxacillin), share one figure across a group of lines, printed once against the first line of the group. Always read the lines under a drug in the compendium or the Gazette to see how the figure is shared.
An invented example: Malabar Dairy Cooperative receives a residue report for a batch of milk. For amoxicillin the line "Cattle, Milk" prints 0.004, and the report is read against that line in mg/Kg.
Relation to clauses (1) to (3)
Clause (2) of the same regulation lists drugs not permitted at any stage of animal food production, with an extraneous limit of 0.001 mg/kg, and clause (3) sets the honey antibiotic limits. The Table in clause (4) is for drugs that are in veterinary use and have a tolerance limit. Our article on antibiotics in seafood and honey explains clauses (1) to (3).
Notified change, in force from 1 December 2026
The Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Amendment Regulations, 2026 (14 May 2026) apply from 1st December, 2026. Until then the Table above stands as printed. From that date, in the clause (4) Table:
- Against serial number 45 (Trimethoprim), in columns (3) and (4), after the existing entries, the following entry is inserted: "Sea foods including shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products" with the limit 0.05.
- After serial number 49 and the entries relating to it, a new serial 50 is inserted: Oxolinic acid, Sea foods including shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products, with the limit 0.3.
The same amendment omits clause (1) of regulation 2.3.2, whose four-row Table gave seafood tolerance limits for four antibiotics, including trimethoprim and oxolinic acid.
Who must act
Processors of milk, meat, poultry and aquaculture products should map each supplier's product against the drug and food lines. Aquaculture exporters should note the two new entries before 1 December 2026. The sister cluster's standards for meat and eggs are in meat, poultry and egg products. The next article in this series covers biotoxins and melamine. Businesses that want help with residue reports can use FSSAI compliance support.
Need help with veterinary residue limits?
A residue report is read against the drug, the animal and the tissue together, and the Table has many shared figures. Our FSSAI compliance support service helps dairies, poultry processors and exporters map reports to the right Table line.
Key takeaways
- The Table lists 49 drugs with tolerance limits in mg/Kg for animal foods.
- Read drug, species, tissue and figure together; a unit written in a cell overrides the heading.
- Clause (1) seafood figures for trimethoprim and oxolinic acid move into this Table from 1 December 2026.
- Drugs not permitted at all are in clause (2), not in this Table.
Read next
- Regulation 2.3.2(1)–(3): antibiotics in seafood and honey
- Regulations 2.4 and 2.5.1: biotoxins and melamine
- Meat, poultry and egg products: FSSAI food standards
- Section 21, FSS Act: pesticide residues, veterinary drugs and microbiological counts
Disclaimer: Based on the FSSAI regulations named above as consolidated in FSSAI's compendium versions or as published in the Gazette, with the later notifications the article names (consulted on fssai.gov.in on 2-3 October 2026). Later notifications and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.