SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — U.S. pork producers are preparing for new common industry audits (CIAs) and veterinary feed directives (VFDs) that will impact the way they do business. The new regulations set forth guidelines intended to tighten up producers’ record-keeping and improve documentation of antibiotics administered to animals raised for food.
A series of five meetings across Illinois offering producers an opportunity to better prepare for the changes is winding down, though four more CIA workshops are planned for January, offered by the Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA) and available to all pig farmers. A roundtable meeting for producers and industry friends is planned for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at Spoon River Community Outreach Center in Macomb, with the main focus on the upcoming CIAs, which begin Jan. 1, 2016, and VFDs, which will be implemented by January 2017, according to Jennifer Tirey, IPPA executive director.
"We’ll have a veterinarian there to talk to producers and allied partners for the purpose of giving them a heads-up to the upcoming changes," Tirey said. The goal of the new CIAs is to standardize the audit process and provide consistency across the industry in order to reassure consumers that producers are caring for their animals by improving animal well-being and food safety, she explained.
"(USDA) is trying to streamline the process so that you don’t have a different type of audit at each packer location. There was a lot of discussion and feedback with packers and the National Pork Board to put together this audit so that it is uniform. The industry has had input into the creation of this audit," Tirey said. "We are hosting four workshops in January; essentially, once you have left that meeting, you will be ready to go through an audit at your farm."
The common industry audit workshops will be hosted by IPPA with assistance from the University of Illinois Extension. The workshops will be held Jan. 5 in Sycamore, Jan. 7 in Quincy, Jan. 14 in Effingham and Jan. 19 in Peoria. They are free for producers and allied industry partners.
"We’re trying to get the information into the hands of producers so if they are audited they are ready to go. We’ll educate them on all of the necessary operating procedures, walk them through the euthanasia guidelines, and get them prepared," Tirey said. "This is not just an audit for decision-makers. It’s for the caregivers that are working on the farm. A lot of the info is about what is expected of the staff and workers who care for the animals on a day-to-day basis. Parts of this audit, only the caregivers can answer – or the contract grower – or the owner. They have to be prepared and on the same page."
Though producers have until 2017 to comply with the new veterinary feed directives, it is important to start preparing early, noted Mike Borgic, IPPA director of membership and outreach. "VFDs show the importance of the farmer-veterinary relationship," he said. "Even though the VFD requirement will not be fully implemented until 2017, it is time to start building that relationship with your vet now to reduce the chance of having issues in the future."
By Dec. 8-10, 2016, all growth promotion and feed efficiency claims will be removed for medically important antibiotics. By Jan. 1, 2017, all medicated feed additives containing medically important antibiotics must be prescribed through a VFD. In addition, all water-soluble, medically important antibiotics will become prescription products.
"The concern was based on wanting to eliminate antibiotics used for growth hormones," said Tirey. "Essentially, producers will need to keep records of all of their antibiotics. They need to develop a relationship with their veterinarians because they are going to require written prescriptions for any antibiotics, including water-based. Pig farmers will need to keep records up to two years under these directives, as will feed mills."
Producers should not incur much, if any, additional expense through the introduction of VFDs.
"It’s really just paperwork and record keeping," Tirey said. "So far, producers have been pretty responsive to it. They are understanding that this is something they need to do."
Tirey noted that "several pages" of medications will be impacted by the new VFD rule, one of many topics to be discussed with farmers.
"Right now, it is about getting (producers) prepared, letting them ask questions, getting them on the same page and being proactive," she said.
For more information on veterinary feed directives, common industry audits, or the CIA workshops scheduled for January, call the IPPA office at 217-529-3100.
