Veterinarians to have more responsibility over antimicrobials used in feed and water

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Changes are coming to the way medically-important antimicrobials are labelled and prescribed. Producers will need to talk to their veterinarians in order to manage access to the medications needed to maintain their herd health in the future

by JEAN SZKOTNICKI   

Hog producers and their veterinarians are going to need to work ever more closely together in the future, due to changes in the distribution and oversight of medically important antimicrobials used in feed and water.  

The United States, our major trading partner, is implementing processes to remove the growth promotion claims of feed efficiency and weight gain from medically important antimicrobials. This action is part of a global movement led by the World Health Organization, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health with the goal of managing resistance to these medicines. Ultimately, the effort is intended to contribute to our long-term ability to treat humans effectively.

With the changes in antimicrobial labels will also come a requirement for veterinarians to have greater controls over the antimicrobials used in feed and water.  It is Canada's intent to align as much as possible with the United States.

Hog producers can expect changes in how they access antimicrobials used in feed and water by the start of 2017. While consultations are still ongoing, the following is an outline of what is expected to happen.

First, pharmaceutical manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to work with Health Canada's Veterinary Drugs Directorate to change the labels of antimicrobials used in feed and water. As a result, the antimicrobial feed additives and water solubles that are designated as being medically important by Health Canada will no longer be able to be used for growth promotion. This will be accompanied by regulatory changes requiring that veterinarians have oversight of antimicrobial feed additives and water solubles.

While Health Canada has authority over the sale of drugs, it is the provinces and territories that have authority over drug use. Provincial veterinary licensing bodies, their members and provincial regulatory authorities are now in the process of discussing what veterinary oversight looks like and whether there may need to be changes in provincial regulation. Key to discussions by licensing bodies and veterinarians is the idea of having a national approach to what a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) should be and to having veterinary practice standards that include consideration of antimicrobial resistance.  

Across the provinces, there are also discussions of what veterinary oversight means relative to distribution of antimicrobials in feed additive and water soluble forms. Definitely there are challenges, given that provinces don't all have the same regulations. For instance, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario have Livestock Medicines Acts which allow for sale of non-prescription drugs by licensed vendors while, in Quebec, all animal drugs are by prescription.  

It is expected that the medically important antimicrobial water soluble products will be made prescription only.

On the other hand, medically important antimicrobial feed additives will be sold under a Veterinary Authorization (VA). The VA will require changes in both Feed and Drug Regulations to allow for a veterinary prescription/Medicating Ingredients Brochure (MIB) crossbreed, which will be issued by the veterinarian to a client, while maintaining important aspects of the MIB.

Commercial feedmills, as wholesalers, will still be able to sell the medically important antimicrobials used in feed, but only pursuant to a hog producer providing a VA that was issued by their veterinarian operating within a valid VCPR.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration states that a VCPR requires a veterinarian to have a relationship with the producer, have knowledge of the animals and be prepared to do follow-up treatment or care of the animals before issuing a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). The Canadian VA is to be mirrored on the American one. Heightened record keeping will be associated with issuance of a VA by the veterinarian and with manufacturing of the medicated feed by the feedmill.  

There is much work being done nationally and provincially in partnership with food animal  producers, veterinarians and the pharmaceutical sectors and 2017 is just around the corner. It is important that hog producers be part of the consultations and pay careful attention to future communications on the implications of removing the growth promotion claims from antimicrobials used in feed and water. Talking with your veterinarian about these changes will help you to manage access to the medications needed to maintain the health of your herd in the future. BP

Jean Szkotnicki is the president of the Canadian Animal Health Institute, based in Guelph.