The Food & Drug Administration issued new rules in January 2017 requiring Veterinary Feed Directives (VFDs) for feed products containing “medically important” ingredients such as tetracyclines. That’s changed the way the U.S. feed industry does business, because many antibiotics for food-producing animals changed from over-the-counter to prescription-only status.

David Williams, owner-operator of Kentucky-based Burkmann Nutrition, noted that “the VFDs have created a change in what is available for a farm family to buy. We don’t come to the feed store anymore like we used to and buy anything and everything that may or may not be medicated. We have a dual role of supporting our colleagues in veterinary medicine to help them understand VFDs, to help them with their paperwork and to do all the calculations so the paperwork is properly prepared.”

On the other side, he said his company is consulting with farm families to help them understand that things can no longer be done the way they used to, particularly with tetracyclines, which previously had been used for different purposes and now require a VFD.

Williams, who has owned his feed business since the late 1970s, has seen his share of changes. However, he said non-medicated nutrition formulations are more sophisticated than ever before and are targeted for the specific needs of each of his customers, which has resulted in better health and productivity in cow herds — and reduced sickness.

Despite the improvements, he said diseases like anaplasmosis and pinkeye remain prevalent in the Southeast and are threats to productivity and animal well-being. While these were once treatable with over-the-counter medicated feed products, this is no longer the case.

“Farm families don’t understand why they have to have more government intervention into their farming practices. Now, we come back with the fact that you cannot go to the feed store and buy your tetracycline mineral anymore without a prescription,” Williams said, but he noted that producers are rising to the occasion. “The consumer gets to decide. We need to meet consumer demand. This is just one step toward accomplishing that.”

The livestock industry has already taken massive strides in reducing antibiotic use. According to FDA, domestic sales and distribution of all medically important antibiotics used for livestock decreased 38% from 2015 – when sales peaked – to 2018.

Williams represented the Kentucky livestock industry at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) Antibiotic Symposium in Ames, Iowa. The event brought together producers, veterinarians and scientists to share ideas on how to protect both human and livestock health through improved antibiotic stewardship – a One Health approach.

“Anything we can do to help farm families increase the demand for animal proteins is in the farm families’ best interest,” Williams said. “We must not be short-sighted. We must look ahead and understand that the consumer of our products makes the ultimate decision.”