DES MOINES, Iowa — The pork checkoff in Des Moines recently changed the guidelines for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) June 3 issuance of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rule on antibiotic use, set for U.S. livestock producers, veterinarians and feed providers to comply with by December 2016.

"Antibiotics aren’t going away, but on-farm use will change. Producers should sit down with their veterinarians to discuss how to apply VFDs and other herd-health strategies," said Jennifer Koeman, DVM, director of producer and public health for the pork checkoff.

She said the FDA’s goal is to work with the production sector to eliminate the use of medically important (for humans) antibiotics for growth promotion and to bring therapeutic use – to treat, control or prevent specific disease – under veterinary oversight. She explained pork producers should take steps now to prepare for these upcoming changes.

"The end of 2016 may sound like a long way off, but producers need to start getting ready," Koeman said.

Under the FDA’s new policy, 283 products will be added to the VFD list, said Bill Flynn, DVM, deputy director for science policy at the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. "Over-the-counter sales of the products will be eliminated, and their use will require veterinary oversight and diagnosis for a specific animal-health condition," he said. "Producers will need a VFD to gain access to the affected feed-based antibiotics and a prescription for water-based products."

Koeman said the new rules coming from the FDA’s Guidance 209, 213 and VFD in December 2016, will change the requirements needed to use certain antibiotics and will more directly involve veterinary oversight. Although it’ll be a major change for the industry, she said the new rules provide a great opportunity for farmers to work with their veterinarians to revisit all herd health practices – with the goal of decreasing disease, enhancing performance and producing a safe, wholesome product for the global market.

"We realize that producers will face a substantial change in how they use antibiotics with the impending policy rule changes, but they can feel good in knowing that they already are doing much of what they need to do to be successful," she said.

"If farmers continue to work with their veterinarians, talk with their feed suppliers, diligently keep records associated with VFDs and prescription antibiotic use and retain current Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) certification, they will be well prepared to be in compliance."

Koeman said the checkoff’s PQA Plus program continues to provide a firm foundation for on-farm antibiotic use, together with its animal well-being and food safety components.

According to the National Pork Board’s latest statistics, more than 60,000 producers are certified in PQA Plus on-farm education, with all of the major meatpackers requiring participation in PQA Plus before purchasing producers’ market hogs.

In addition, she said the 2016 revision of the program will emphasize antibiotic stewardship and the importance of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship in deciding when to use antibiotics.

Paul Ruen, a swine veterinarian at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota and former president of the American Assoc. of Swine Veterinarians in Perry, Iowa, said, "Most producers already work closely with their veterinarian to achieve proper decisions and use of antibiotics when needed to ensure healthy pigs and safe food. But there will be some individuals – producers and veterinarians both – that will need to get on board as changes come into play."

Ruen recommended the following four steps to initiate immediately:

•Secure a good working relationship with your herd veterinarian and build familiarity with your production system

•Sit down with your veterinarian to evaluate all animal-health management protocols and herd vaccination programs; review all swine medications currently being used

•Discuss which products are affected by veterinary feed directives and prescriptions and how the process will work on the farm

•Walk through the recordkeeping requirements and strategies

For more information on the upcoming antibiotic use changes and more, visit the Antibiotic Resource Center at www.pork.org/antibiotics