Safety and efficacy of Coxiril® (diclazuril) for chickens reared for laying

• Main Authors: EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP), Guido Rychen, Gabriele Aquilina, Giovanna Azimonti, Vasileios Bampidis, Maria de Lourdes Bastos, Georges Bories, Andrew Chesson, Pier Sandro Cocconcelli, Gerhard Flachowsky, Boris Kolar, Maryline Kouba, Marta López Alonso, Secundino López Puente, Alberto Mantovani, Baltasar Mayo, Fernando Ramos, Maria Saarela, Roberto Edoardo Villa, Robert John Wallace, Pieter Wester, Paul Brantom, Ingrid Halle, Patrick vanBeelen, Orsolya Holczknecht, Maria Vittoria Vettori, Jürgen Gropp
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2018-03-01
• Series: EFSA Journal
• Subjects: Coxiril®; diclazuril; coccidiostats; chickens reared for laying; safety; efficacy
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5195

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Coxiril® (diclazuril) for chickens reared for laying. Coxiril®, containing 0.5% diclazuril, is intended for the prevention of coccidiosis in chickens reared for laying at a dose range of 0.8–1.2 mg diclazuril/kg of complete feed up to a maximum age of 12 weeks. Derived from data already assessed for chickens and turkeys for fattening, diclazuril from Coxiril® is safe for chickens reared for laying up to 1.2 mg/kg complete feed when applied until 12 weeks of age. The FEEDAP Panel extended its previous assessment of consumer safety for the use of diclazuril from Coxiril® in chickens for fattening to chickens reared for laying. No measurable diclazuril residues were found in the first eggs laid from chickens reared for laying fed diclazuril from Coxiril® at 1.2 mg/kg complete feed until 12 weeks of age. Coxiril® was considered as a non‐irritant to eyes and skin. It is not a potential skin sensitiser. User inhalation exposure to Coxiril®, as a result of normal handling, is unlikely to cause respiratory or systemic toxicity. The use of diclazuril from Coxiril® in chickens reared for laying at the highest proposed feed concentration would not pose a risk to the environment for neutral/alkaline soils (pH ≥ 7). A final conclusion on the risk resulting from the use of diclazuril in acid soil from Coxiril® cannot be done due to the high uncertainties related to potential accumulation of diclazuril over time. Derived from data already assessed for chickens for fattening, diclazuril from Coxiril® has the potential to control coccidiosis in chickens reared for laying at a minimum concentration of 0.8 mg/kg complete feed.