One Health Movement News / One Health Topics 'in' the News

The United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) went into effect on January 1, 2017.  This new set of federal rules requires, for the first time, veterinary oversight whenever medically important antibiotics—medications that are important for treating human disease- are administered to any food animal species via feed or water, even if the animals are not intended for food production. From pet rabbits and pigs to backyard poultry, to large livestock farms, the same restrictions apply. All medically important antibiotics to be used in feed or water for food animal species require a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) or a prescription. The new rule is intended to curtail indiscriminate use of antibiotics in an effort to slow the development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria.