Still Confused About Vfds? Panel Brings Clarity to New Rules

Still confused about VFDs? Panel brings clarity to new rules

Confused about the FDA’s Veterinary Feed Directive and how it will affect your operation?

Don’t worry, you're not alone. Changes in rules and regulations sometimes lead to misunderstandings, confusion or even fear. To help bring clarity to the rule, Zoetis sponsored a webinar to explain the nuances of the new rules.

Judicious use

Basically, the VFD will require licensed veterinarians to be involved with on-farm usage of any in-feed antimicrobials that FDA deems medically important to humans. (For the latest list, clickhere.)

The new regulations will also require there to be a validveterinarian-client-patient relationship(VCPR) before medically important antimicrobials can be added to poultry or livestock feed.

In effect, a VFD is comparable to a veterinary prescription for producers to obtain and use medically important antimicrobials for their animals, explained John Hallberg, DVM, PhD, director of US regulatory affairs for Zoetis. The VFD also aims to phase out use of tetracyclines and other medically important antibiotics for growth promotion or feed efficiency.

Notable exceptions

Hallberg said it was important to note that several antimicrobials used by the US poultry and livestock industries — synthetic coccidiostats, ionophores, bacitracins and bambermycins —were not regarded as medically important by FDA and, as such, could be used without a VFD, provided they are not combined with medically important antibiotics. Bacitracin and bambermycins also would retain their performance claims under the new guidelines.

“All water-soluble products that contain similar medically important drugs will move from over-the-counter to veterinary prescription status,” he said. “So the FDA has put virtually all antibacterial drugs under the guidance of a veterinarian.”

Hallberg stressed “It is absolutely essential for everyone to realize that this regulation does not allow extra-label use of medicated feeds.”

Under the new FDA rules, a VFD would apply to a farm or location for up to 6 months, unless otherwise noted on the product label. To help speed the process, VFDs may be issued electronically by the veterinarian, but records must be kept securely for 2 years by the veterinarian, feed mill and farm.

Preparing for the VFD

Hallberg urged producers to begin preparations now by talking to their veterinarian, nutritionist or animal health company representative about the possible impacts of VFD on their operations. This is also a good time to review the MFAs they currently use to see what might be affected.

Hallberg also suggested assigning a VFD leader at each farm — someone to serve as the go-to resource. Producers also should consider how they should update or modify record-keeping procedures for recording and filing VFD documentation. It will also be important for producers to keep current on any new updates from FDA.

For a recording of the 1-hour session, clickhere.