Heading into the final year of the FDA’s three-year phase-out of sub-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in cattle, hogs and poultry, “There is a low level of awareness of the impending regulatory changes — particularly among livestock producers with small to medium-sized operations,” says the Farm Foundation. In a report based on 12 workshops, the nonprofit said many veterinarians “are not aware of the impending changes” and less than half of the 530 people who attended the workshops, including producers, feed suppliers and veterinarians, were clear about their responsibilities under the FDA’s revised Veterinary Feed Directive, which controls use of medicine in livestock rations.
“Despite significant efforts … a significant awareness gap remains expecially among small and independent operators,” says the report, suggesting the Extension agents and feed suppliers in particular “are especially important in closing the awareness gap and providing educational materials.”
In December 2012, the FDA set a three-year voluntary phase-out of medically important antibiotics used to help food animals gain weight more rapidly. From 2017, those drugs will be limited to treatment and prevention of disease and available only by recommendation of a veterinarian. At present, antibiotics are widely available over the counter and livestock account for the bulk of use. The FDA phase-out is part of a government-wide “judicious use” project to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics in treating human disease and thwarting the emergence of “super bug” bacteria resistant to antimicrobials.
The government is not the only force for change in antibiotic use, said the Farm Foundation, pointing to decisions by restaurant chains and retailers to seek meat produced with little or no antibiotics. “These market-driven changes have already led many producers, especially those that are part of integrated production systems and supply chains, to eliminate the use of antibiotics for production purposes,” says the report.
A recurring issue in the workshops was a shortage in some areas, particularly in urbanizing areas, of large-animal veterinarians. “Longer-term, part of the solution will be efforts by colleges of veterinary medicine to increase the number of veterinarians with economically sustainable food-animal veterinary practices,” said the report.
The Farm Foundation released the report as part of a two-day summit on antibiotic stewardship by 160 officials from the livestock sector, veterinary field, medical community, feed industry, and state and federal regulatory agencies.