The Veterinary Feed Directive | Seminar 2016
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The Veterinary Feed Directive and other changes in the way we do Business

By Dr. Douglas A. Anderson, DVM

By the end of 2016, if not sooner, our industry will undergo a massive change in the way we medicate our flocks.  The VFD as written will require Veterinary approval of all medications used in the feed. This will require a valid Veterinary-Client-Patient relationship (VCPR) and all uses are limited to the label directions (no off label use will be permitted).  This may present our industry with some unusual restrictions we have not faced before.  The actual process is still under discussion and remains open to interpretation. The end result seems to change weekly with no firm consensus on how the directive will be implemented.

Additionally, antibiotics used in the water will also undergo some dramatic changes. Their availability over-the-counter (OTC) will be reduced and most likely eliminated, requiring Veterinary prescription for their purchase and usage. Some off-label usage will be allowed under certain situations with restrictions, but will require Veterinary responsibility to prevent illegal or accidental drug residues. Some previously used drugs will be forbidden, even if the usage was needed to prevent the onset of certain diseases.

These changes and their possible implementation and their expected impact on your Veterinarian, your feed mill, and your business will be presented and discussed.


About The Presenter

Dr. Anderson first started growing ring-necked pheasants in 1965 and has been involved with gamebirds and poultry ever since. He received his undergraduate BS-Avian Science (1982) and DVM (1986) from Colorado State University where he worked on several projects including ring-necked pheasant plumage genetics, marble spleen disease and ulcerative enteritis vaccines, pre-incubation storage of hatching eggs, and propagation techniques for endangered species. During his career, he has been involved in over twenty countries and has worked in numerous capacities within the gamebird and commercial poultry industries in technical service, diagnostic laboratory, live production, vaccine production, and veterinary product development as well as volunteering in youth poultry programs of 4H, FFA, and local Poultry clubs. He currently manages three poultry diagnostic laboratories in Georgia(2) and Colorado. His current projects focus on posterior paresis problems in bobwhite quail, gamebird coccidial vaccines, gamebird parenting genetics, and propagation of rare and endangered gamebird (galliforme) species.