Virginia Conforti

Scope. Small ruminants in peri-industrial agropastoral systems are systematically underrepresented in food safety surveillance despite their demonstrated vulnerability to soil-mediated contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study aimed to quantify the inter-species hierarchy of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in raw milk from bovine, ovine, and caprine farms reared within 20 km of the Taranto industrial complex (Apulia, Southern Italy), to identify the most sensitive sentinel species for monitoring purposes, and to assess regulatory compliance against Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915.Methods. A total of 671 raw bulk milk samples were collected between 2016 and 2025 under the Extraordinary Monitoring Plan implemented by the Local Health Authority of Taranto, in compliance with Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 for the period preceding December 2019 and Regulation (EU) 2017/625 thereafter. Samples were analysed by high-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) at the Italian National Reference Laboratory for halogenated POPs in food and feed (IZS Teramo), with results expressed as upper-bound WHO-TEQ concentrations, as recommended by the EFSA CONTAM Panel. Inter-species differences were modelled using linear mixed-effects regression (LMM), with cattle as the baseline reference group, farm distance from the industrial perimeter and sampling year as covariates, and individual holding as a random effect.Results. Caprine and ovine milk consistently and substantially exceeded bovine concentrations across all contaminant classes throughout the entire study period, after controlling for spatial and temporal confounders. The inter-species hierarchy was most pronounced for pure PCDD/Fs, caprine exceeding bovine by more than twofold (p < 0.001), ovine by approximately twofold (p < 0.001), and persisted for combined contamination (p < 0.001), consistent with the higher feed-to-milk transfer efficiency of PCDD/Fs in small ruminants. For NDL-PCBs alone, the hierarchy was inverted, with ovine milk exceeding caprine (p < 0.001), reflecting species-specific differences in accumulation rate and depuration kinetics. Between-farm variance was near zero across all models, confirming landscape-driven contamination. Non-compliance with EU maximum levels was predominantly concentrated in small ruminant, particularly caprine, holdings.Conclusions. Small ruminants, goats above all, represent the most sensitive sentinel species for soil-mediated PCDD/F and PCB contamination in peri-industrial dairy systems, in line with evidence from analogous European industrial sites. Their elevated contamination relative to cattle reflects a combination of species-specific traits: soil ingestion up to 20% of daily dry matter intake due to ground-proximate foraging behaviour, versus 2–5% in cattle; greater feed-to-milk transfer efficiency for lipophilic compounds; and higher milk fat content promoting PCDD/F and PCB sequestration. The predominance of caprine over ovine exceedances is consistent with goats' more selective soil-proximate foraging and their higher milk fat-to-bodyweight ratio. These findings support species-differentiated sampling intensity in official monitoring plans, with small ruminants assigned priority sentinel status in territories with legacy industrial soil contamination.

The authorisation of insect-based novel foods under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 proceeds without welfare assessment of the species involved, an absence this article explains through the concept of jurisdictional epistemic closure : the mechanism by which formal legal mandates simultaneously allocate regulatory competence and determine which forms of scientific uncertainty can be constituted as regulatory objects. Unlike existing accounts of co-production or boundary work, this concept foregrounds the ultra vires doctrine as the mechanism that makes epistemic boundaries legally enforceable rather than merely institutional. Applying the framework to EFSA’s novel food opinions, the article shows that insect welfare considerations are not assessed and dismissed but rendered inadmissible by the prior definition of EFSA’s mandate as limited to human health risk. Drawing on veterinary science’s clinical distinction between nociception and sentience, the analysis demonstrates that regulatory systems are capable of accommodating welfare uncertainty operationally, and that the obstacle is jurisdictional rather than methodological. The precautionary principle cannot resolve this problem because it presupposes the epistemic framework that jurisdictional closure renders incomplete; the normative argument is grounded in Article 13 TFEU, which imposes on the Commission a legally operative obligation of welfare regard when exercising risk management discretion under the Novel Food Regulation.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a significant global concern, undermining the efficacy of treatments in both human and veterinary medicine. Livestock production plays a major role in the emergence and dissemination of AMR, primarily due to the extensive use of antibiotics for therapeutic, prophylactic, and metaphylactic purposes. Addressing this multifaceted issue necessitates a One Health approach. At the international level, regulatory frameworks are predominantly non-binding, relying on soft-law instruments developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE), which advocate for harmonized guidelines and national action plans. In contrast, the European Union has implemented binding regulations, including Regulation (EU) 2019/6 and Regulation (EU) 2019/4, which restrict non-essential antimicrobial use (AMU) and reinforce veterinary accountability. Initiatives such as the Farm to Fork Strategy and platforms like ClassyFarm further advance antimicrobial stewardship by integrating animal welfare, sustainability, and access to EU funding. Achieving substantial reductions in AMR within livestock systems requires coordinated, cross-disciplinary, and multi-level governance efforts. The EU model illustrates how enforceable legal frameworks, combined with science-based monitoring and welfare incentives, can facilitate prudent antibiotic use and promote sustainable animal production. This review aims to provide an integrated overview of international and European strategies for regulating antibiotic use in food-producing animals, focusing on how scientific, veterinary and legal perspectives contribute to combating AMR and promoting animal welfare by emphasizing prevention, and a prudent and responsible AMU.