Farm Horizons • Feb . 6 , 2017 • Page 8
What farmers need to know : Veterinary Feed Directives
By Starrla Cray When a person doesn ’ t feel well and needs an antibiotic , they go to the doctor to get a prescription .
As of Jan . 1 , sick cows must go through a similar process . Feed that contains certain medications can no longer be purchased “ over the counter ,” and instead requires a written note from a licensed veterinarian . Similar to a prescription , these orders are known as veterinary feed directives ( VFDs ). “ It ’ s mainly for beef and dairy beef ,” said Brian Yager , food safety coordinator at Munson Lakes Nutrition in Howard Lake . “ This has already been going on in the pork and poultry industries for quite a while .”
The regulations set by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) aim to protect public health , reduce resistance to antibiotics , and eliminate the use of drugs for
growth promotion . Affected medications are those that are used by both humans and animals , such as penicillins , sulfas , tetracyclines , glycopeptides , and others . Unaffected medicines – those exclusively used by animals – include polypeptides , pleuromutilin , bambermycin , carbadox , and ionophores .
At Munson Lakes Nutrition , feeds that make up the majority of products requiring VFDs are 39 % beef concentrate with Rumensin ® and Tylan ®, AUREO S 700 ® crumbles , and AUREO 10G .
Farmers are still able to purchase these feeds , but they can only be used for specific purposes , such as treating a diagnosed illness , controlling the spread of disease in a herd , and preventing animals that are exposed to sickness from becoming ill .
When drugs are necessary , a veterinarian can provide a written statement authorizing a specific amount . That statement is given to the feed supply store , which can then provide the medicine-containing feed .