The use of growth promoters in farm animals has been banned within the European Union since 1988. In order to guarantee to consumers that foodstuffs are free from residues of this type of substance, a European surveillance and control system supports this measure, which has been organised in France since 1988 within the framework of the surveillance and control programmes implemented by the

Directorate General for Food. This paper aims to describe the regulatory framework and the terms of implementation regarding compounds of interest, animal species concerned, relevant biological matrices and appropriate analytical strategies. Data obtained from the 2014 plans illustrate the entire system.