Orange City, Iowa — A new set of regulations are going into effect in January that will affect all livestock producers.
Iowa State University Extension Swine specialist Dave Stender tells us about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), which is going into effect in about two and a half weeks.
Stender says those medications will now be by veterinary prescription.
Extension experts including Stender say the new rules will affect the production of all meat and dairy animals. Stender says there are also new directives and paperwork to be filed regarding those who mix feed on-site.
They tell us that some drugs used in animal production are also used in human medicine, and that the reason for the VFD is to help avoid antibiotic resistance to these drugs. Hence, livestock producers will not be able to routinely use these drugs in livestock production after December 31, 2016.
For more information, you can contact your local ISU Extension and Outreach office.
