Majority of Pig Farmers Ready for Veterinary Feed Directive

A new survey finds 82 percent of pig farmers say they are aware of the upcoming regulatory changes regarding on-farm antibiotic use. And of those surveyed, on average, 71 percent have a defined record-keeping protocol in place. The Survey results were announced Thursday by the National Pork Board. NPB is working to educate pork producers on the details of The Food and Drug Administration’s guidance 209 and 213. The rules define how medically important feed-grade antibiotics should be used to treat, control and prevent disease, as well as the importance of farmers establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. The guidance also mandates that medically important antibiotics can no longer be used to promote animal growth and sets a higher standard for on-farm record keeping. The regulatory changes take effect at the start of next year. The survey also found 70 percent of producers feel the industry is heading “in the right direction,” dropping from a 2015 score of 83 percent. Also, pork producers indicated managing hog health and disease continues to be their top challenge. Finally, producer’s top request of the Checkoff is to educate consumers about the safety of pork.