Details on the new Veterinary Feed Directive outlined

Those attending the recent North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Spring Roundup meeting in Montpelier had the opportunity to learn about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) that will take place on Jan. 1, 2017. Gerald Stokka, NDSU Extension veterinarian, explained to ranchers what the VFD will mean for those raising cattle. “The old way of going to town and going to the elevator and getting antibiotics to put on feed is going to change in January 2017,” Stokka said. “What you are going to need after January 2017 is one of these – a permission slip that is given to you by your veterinarian that allows you to use antibiotics in the feed.” He said there are three things that producers should know, in terms of the VFD: • The VFD is a permission slip written by your veterinarian for you to use medicated feeds; • A relationship needs to be developed between the producer and their veterinarian; • Medicated feeds have never been able to be used for uses not on the label, and this new rule doesn’t pertain to injectable antibiotics, which are still governed by prescriptions from the veterinarian. The driving force behind this new regulation is antibiotic resistance in human beings, Stokka noted. Stokka referred to the Veterinary-Client Patient Relationship by the acronym VCPR. This takes the form of a veterinarian knowing your operation well enough that he/she doesn’t have to go out to your place and look at these animals in order to write a permission slip for you to use an antibiotic for your feed.  As a veterinarian, Stokka said he cannot write a producer a permission slip (VFD) for any other reason than what is listed on the label; they can only follow what the label says. But this does not apply to injectable prescription antibiotics. The VFD also does not apply to such things like ionophores and coccidiostats.  According to Stokka, there are a few things the producer will need to provide in order for the veterinarian to issue a VFD. First, you must state who you are, and how many animals you are going to treat. The calculations can be made from there. The veterinarian then goes to his/her computer and fills out a form and makes three copies of that form. The vet retains one for his/her records, one will go to the feed dealer that will authorize the sale of the medicated feed, and the third goes to the producer...more