Veterinary Feed Directive | 3 Things You Should Be Doing Now

The Food and Drug Administration has amended animal drug regulations to implement the veterinary feed directive (VFD) section of the Animal Drug Availability Act of 1996, effective Jan. 1, 2017.

A VFD drug is any medically necessary antimicrobial intended for use in animal feed or water, alone or in combination with other drugs. Purchase and use of a VFD drug is permitted only under the professional supervision of a licensed veterinarian; the packaging will display a prominent warning label stating it as such.

Purchase or use of any product that contains a VFD drug or combination VFD, on or in an animal’s feed, will require a written order by a veterinarian.

The intent of these rule changes is to take significant steps to address antimicrobial resistance and to ensure the judicious use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. The use of antimicrobials will be illegal for production purposes, to improve feed efficiency, or for any other off-label use.

We are less than 12 months away from the new rules taking effect, so what should beef producers and cattle raisers be doing now to prepare?

Do Not Panic!
The products that will be affected by these new rules are antimicrobials deemed medically necessary (are important for infection in humans) and intended for use in or on animal feed or water. Injectable products or products for external use will not fall under the VFD rules.

VFD drugs will still be available, but purchase and treatment will have to be done under a veterinarian’s supervision. A veterinarian-client-patient relationship is the basis of professional supervision, including knowledge of the animal and illness requiring the drug.

Talk to Your Veterinarian
If you do not have a regular veterinarian, now is the time to find one and establish a relationship. Make sure you are both aware of the rule changes and what will be affected after the first of the year.

If you are unsure which products are covered by the rule changes, ask a few questions. Be sure you understand each other when it comes to treatment timetables and methods. How long should you wait before initiating treatment? When should you call in the vet? How long would it normally take to obtain an order for a VFD drug or product? These are just a few of the questions you may want to ask before the situation comes up.

Make A Plan
Begin formulating a plan for what you will do to treat animals with the products that require a VFD. Have an idea what illnesses or symptoms you will need to keep an eye out for and when you will need to call the vet if you suspect there is a problem.

Recordkeeping will be a useful component when it comes to treating animals with a VFD drug, whether you are treating 1 animal or a dozen. If you have been a little lax on animal identification or records, now is the time to catch up and get in the habit. There will be a bit more paperwork involved in obtaining and using VFD drugs, so if you have a protocol already established and outlined for what to do when the time comes, it will be a less stressful task.

Be sure you are knowledgeable about best practices, in order to avoid illness or injury before your animals are in need of a vet or VFD drugs. If you have not taken a Beef Quality Assurance Producer Program, there is still time to become certified, or if it has been a while since you looked at a BQA handbook, attend a BQA training in your area. More information is available at texasbeefquality.com.

If you, or your veterinarian, have questions about VFD drugs, rules or timetables, visit fda.gov and search “VFD” to read frequently asked questions, the official language of the VFD directive, and more.

“Veterinary Feed Directive | 3 Things You Should Be Doing Now” is from the May 2016 issue of The Cattleman magazine.