{"id":15506,"date":"2016-08-30T10:08:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T15:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gobrangus.com\/?p=15506"},"modified":"2016-11-17T07:41:41","modified_gmt":"2016-11-17T13:41:41","slug":"changes-progress-producers-veterinarians-feed-mills-frontline-beef-producer-fall-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gobrangus.com\/changes-progress-producers-veterinarians-feed-mills-frontline-beef-producer-fall-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes in Progress for Producers, Veterinarians, and Feed Mills – FRONTLINE Beef Producer Fall 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"08-30-wb_BPI-eatherton-VFD\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Changes in Progress for Producers, Veterinarians, and Feed Mills,<\/strong>\u00a0by\u00a0Traci Eatherton<\/p>\n

Big adjustments are in the works for livestock operators due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA) June 2015 announced Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) changes, set to be fully implemented by Jan. 1, 2017. While January is still months away, experts are recommending that all parties affected now wait until then to make the needed transitions.<\/p>\n

The regulations, initially established in 1999, were revised in 2015 to better facilitate the VFD\u2019s expanded use under FDA\u2019s antimicrobial resistance policies, according National Grain and Feed Association Senior Vice President of Feed Services David Fairfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe revised VFD requirements already are in place. The Jan. 1, 2017 date is when drug sponsors are to have transitioned the marketing status of their affected products from over-the-counter to VFD status,\u201d Fairfield says.<\/p>\n

The rule now requires producers to administer antibiotics with a VFD marketing status through animal feed under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian to ensure the drugs are only being used when necessary to treat an infection in an animal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe VFD regulation only applies to drugs with a VFD marketing status that are used in animal feed. Medically important antimicrobials that are approved for use in water consumed by animals will be transitioned to prescription status effective Jan. 1, 2017,\u201d Fairfield says.<\/p>\n

Antimicrobial resistance policies being implemented by FDA include eliminating the growth promotion use of medically important antibiotics and expanding the list of feed-grade antibiotics classified as VFD drugs. Historically, a majority of feed-grade antibiotics used in or on animal feeds have been available to producers over-the-counter, without approval from a veterinarian.<\/p>\n

The strategy of a VFD is to promote the judicious use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals. To some, that simply boils down to \u201cmore regulations.\u201d According to the FDA, they put the rule together in the hope of minimizing oversight, taking into consideration the variety of antibiotic needs producers have.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actions the FDA has taken to date represent important steps toward a fundamental change in how antimicrobials can be legally used in food-producing animals,\u201d said Michael R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods, in a news release. \u201cThe VFD final rule takes another important step by facilitating veterinary oversight in a way that allows for the flexibility needed to accommodate the diversity of circumstances that veterinarians encounter, while ensuring such oversight is conducted in accordance with nationally consistent principles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rule requires veterinarians to issue, in writing, all VFDs within the context of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) and specifies the key elements that define a VCPR. These key elements include that the veterinarian engage with the client (i.e., animal producer or caretaker) to assume responsibility for making clinical judgements about patient (i.e., animal) health, have sufficient knowledge of the animal by conducting examinations and\/or visits to the facility where the animal is managed, and provide for any necessary follow-up evaluation or care. The final rule requires veterinarians to follow state-defined VCPR requirements; in states where the FDA determines that no applicable or appropriate state VCPR requirements exist, veterinarians will need to issue VFDs in compliance with federally defined VCPR requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is two-fold. First, because the VFD is written and signed by your veterinarian, use of the medicated feed cannot be approved by a phone call. You had better give your veterinarian time to get the documents submitted prior to your need for the medicated feed. Secondly, the VFD is submitted to the feed supplier, with a copy going to the producer, and a third copy remaining with the veterinarian. This is certainly an additional layer of management which hasn\u2019t been required before, but for all parties to demonstrate that the sale and the use of the product was legal, the paper trail must be in place throughout the system,\u201d Chris Reinhardt, extension feedlot specialist at Kansas State University, says.<\/p>\n

For the most part, the label-approved uses of medications won\u2019t change. The VFD is designed to curtail unapproved uses of some products, because a veterinarian must sign off on the intended purposes of medicated feed, Reinhardt points out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe VFD won\u2019t change the ranching world a great deal,\u201d Reinhardt says, \u201cbut it will require some additional planning and subsequent recordkeeping. If you don\u2019t have a veterinarian involved in your operation now, or lose the ability to buy certain medicated feeds in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it is hoped that the transition will be relatively simple, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has been looking at what exactly the VFD means for veterinarians.<\/p>\n

\u201cShifting away from over-the-counter status to one requiring veterinary oversight doesn\u2019t come without its challenges,\u201d Christine Hoang, DVM, MPH, CPH, assistant director of the Division of Animal and Public Health at AVMA, says.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that nearly all antimicrobial feed additives will transition to VFD drugs, we want to help ensure that the VFD program is as efficient as possible, while keeping in mind the program\u2019s primary goal of protecting human health as well as animal health and welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Fairfield, under FDA\u2019s antimicrobial resistance policies, the agency established that use of medically important drugs should limited to that: 1) are considered necessary for assuring animal health (i.e., medically important antibiotics should not be used to promote animal growth or to improve feed efficiency); and 2) include veterinary oversight or consultation (i.e., medically important antibiotics should not be used in the feed or drinking water of food-producing animals without veterinary oversight or consultation).<\/p>\n

A listing of those animal drugs and drug combinations that will become subject to FDA\u2019s antibiotic-use policies and the VFD regulation is available on FDA\u2019s website (http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/AnimalVeterinary\/SafetyHealth\/AntimicrobialResistance\/JudiciousUseofAntimicrobials\/ucm390429.htm). Among the animal drugs currently not classified as being important to human medicine are wormers, ionophores, carbadox, bacitracin, bambermycin and tiamulin.<\/p>\n

With the implementation planned by the end of the year, Fairfield points out the responsibilities for feed mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means sponsors of affected drugs are to have eliminated any growth-promotion claims associated with their products by that time. In addition, sponsors are to have transitioned the marketing status of their products so they may be distributed to animal producers only under the requirements established by the VFD regulation. Once the policy implementation is complete, the affected antibiotics no longer will be available to be distributed to animal producers on an over-the-counter basis,\u201d Fairfield says.<\/p>\n

The added paperwork and costs have industry players working together to develop software for an easier transition.<\/p>\n

For example, Purina Animal Nutrition is using New Planet Technologies RxExpress software to help meet feed documentation requirements for VFD. The technology is designed to streamline the VFD and non-VFD prescription processes. Simple electronic protocols prompt veterinarians to quickly and accurately produce an e-transmittable VFD or script; protocols contain unique, intelligent technology to streamline data entry and guide compliance, using a smartphone or tablet.<\/p>\n

The FDA has put together several VFD brochures to help with the transition:<\/p>\n