Farmscape for June 19, 2017

The Chief Veterinarian with the National Pork Producers Council says changes to regulations governing the use of antibiotics in livestock production in the U.S. have had a positive effect.
On January 1 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidance 213, which prohibits using medically important antibiotics in human medicine for anything in veterinary medicine other than disease treatment, control and prevention and mandates veterinary oversight for any such use of took effect.
Dr. Liz Wagstrom, the Chief Veterinarian with the National Pork Producers Council, says the change has impacted everyone from the producer on the farm to the veterinary clinic to the feed mill.

Clip-Dr. Liz Wagstrom-National Pork Producers Council:
We think it's helped producers and veterinarians have a stronger working relationship.
Then looping in the feed mill, that often times was not a partner in those discussions, has also been very positive.
It's also meant a lot more paperwork for producers and veterinarians and feed mills, lots of questions on how we specifically comply with the intent of the rule.
We have yet to see, I think it will probably be a year or two before we'll actually see if it has impacted quantities of use or what types of delivery systems are used or things to that effect.
One of the great things about this was you had producers and veterinarians sit down and say what are we currently using in 2016 and is that still necessary?
Has it become a habit that we should reconsider?
Not to say that was a commonplace thing but it did help us reevaluate.
Then I think the second thing that's really been good is that, as unusual situations arise with disease situations, the veterinarian has to be in the loop to be able to help decide on treatment decisions.

Dr. Wagstrom says producers were well prepared to implement Guidance 213.
She says the vast majority were aware this was coming, they took it seriously and were ready.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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