OSU Extension Helping Ranchers with New Antibiotic Rules

OSU Extension is trying to help ranchers who might be confused by the new federal antibiotic rules that go into place next year with online guides for the Veterinary Feed Directive.

Livestock and Rangeland Field Faculty Member Sergio Arispe said feed grain with medically important antibiotics will require veterinary supervision now.

“It’s going to fundamentally change the way medicated feed has been fed historically. It’s going to really hit on the need to develop the relationship with a veterinarian.”

So Arispe and other OSU Extension members wrote a guide for ranchers to understand what the directive is, why it’s in place, what the ranchers’ responsibility is and what the relationship with a veterinarian looks like.

While the new laws won’t get into place until January 1, Arispe said it’s critical to get started by meeting with your vet now.

“Establish a veterinary-client-patient relationship and then put forth different scenarios and ask the veterinarians what would happen in this scenario, or how would you treat this particular scenario.”

Arispe said the focus is on antibiotics that overlap between livestock and human health only like penicillin and tetracycline.