Are Producers Aware of the VFD?

Veterinarians are required to write
prescriptions for producers

In a recent article published by the Greeley Tribune based out of Colorado, Christine Gabel, a territory manger for Zoetis, commented on how surprised she was that very few livestock producers knew about the VFD. When speaking at the Colorado Farm Show this past week, Gabel strived to inform producers about the Veterinary Feed Directive. When this FDA approved program goes into affect in January of 2017, it will impact producers, feed retailers, and the veterinarian.

The VFD will require producers to have prescriptions to use antibiotics in feeds. This applies to every antibiotic that the FDA feels could affect human health. The purpose of this new program is to limit prescription feeds to only be used for disease prevention and treatment rather than growth and maintenance. This all came forward after the Center for Disease Control released a statement saying that many people are dying because they are resistant to the antibiotic. The CDC is saying that livestock is the cause of this.


Also speaking at the Colorado Farm Show was Zoetis productivity manager, Brett Kaysen. He explained that one of the biggest concerned that producers have with the VFD is the time it takes to get a prescription from the veterinarian and then getting it filled. Kaysen used the example that life is unexpected. A cow could calve in the middle of the blizzard and in dairy operations you give the calves milk replacer which contains antibiotics. Well if they don't have the prescription available right away what will this calf eat?  Kaysen said that the best thing for producers to do is to work on their relationship with the veterinarians. He said it is key to have a good working relationship with your vet who also knows your operation.

Producers who attended the show also had questions about how well this would work in rural areas that have a shortage of veterinarians and how it would affect the costs. Gabel and Kaysen didn't have answers for these questions yet but said it is something that needs to be figured out within the next year. Therefore it is so important to start informing everyone now.

To read the full story visit The Greeley Tribune.