Important For Livestock Producers to Communicate with Vet Now About VFD

Changes to the way livestock producers administer medically-important antibiotics to food-producing animals will take effect January, 2017. Specifically, a veterinarian must write a veterinary feed directive before the antibiotic can be administered in feed or water. 

Dr. Gatz Riddell is the Executive Vice President for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. He explains that it will be those antibiotics that are important as human antibiotics that will be affected by the rule. He shares some that will not

Riddell: "It does not include the ionophores antibiotics like Rumensin and Cataylst and Bovatec because they are not considered important in human medicine."

 

He adds it's important to communicate now with your veterinarian what products you use that may be included in the VFD

Riddell: "The FDA has a pretty scary number that there is going to be 250 plus products that will be undergoing a label change because of these regulations. But yet — if producers if they actually list what they have used in the last year or two — they will probably be looking at two, three, four or maybe five. It is a much more manageable and a lot less intimidating number. If they have those on hand and can talk to their veterinarian about, 'This is what I've used in the past and this is what I think this is what my animals may need to maintain their health in the future.' That is a good conversation starter with their veterinarian."