On June 11, 2023, certain antibiotics for treating livestock that were available over the counter (OTC) will now require a veterinary prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an announcement on June 12, 2023 of the transition status. Slowing Antimicrobial Resistance During September of 2018, the FDA announced a five-year plan to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance, …
Rinderpest’s Reign of Terror
A disease so fearsome it was given the name “cattle plague”, rinderpest left behind trails of devastation in the wake of outbreaks. The 1887-1892 Great Ethiopian Famine occurred when almost all of the cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and wildlife species died from this disease (Morens, D. M., et al., 2011). In the 19th century, rinderpest killed 20 percent of all …
Producers Benefit from Scrapie Program Cooperation
There are many reasons why people are reluctant to comply with government laws and regulations. However, a cooperative state-federal-industry program for eradicating scrapie in the United States has resulted in excellent progress towards eliminating this disease in sheep and goats. The number of animals testing positive for scrapie in the U.S. has decreased by 99 percent, since analysis of producer-submitted …
Small Farms, Big Impact: Secure Food Supply Plans
Livestock production in the United States varies in size and scope from large-scale commercial operations to small-scale, backyard producers. At the national level, plans have been created to ensure that in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak, unaffected parts of the agriculture industry can avoid interruption. These “food supply plans” may seem unimportant for farms with local markets …