A new policy is coming into play this summer that will affect every cattle producer in America. Shauna Hermel sat down with veterinarian Eric Moore to discuss how Guidelines for Industry 263 will affect cattlemen.
In this episode they discuss:
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A new policy is coming into play this summer that will affect every cattle producer in America. Shauna Hermel sat down with veterinarian Eric Moore to discuss how Guidelines for Industry 263 will affect cattlemen.
In this episode they discuss:
Find more information to make Angus work for you in the Angus Beef Bulletin and ABB EXTRA. Make sure you're subscribed! Sign up here to the print Angus Beef Bulletin and the digital Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. Have questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact our team at abbeditorial@angus.org.
Hello and welcome to Angus at Work, our podcast for the commercial cattleman, brought to you by the Angus Beef Bulletin. I'm Shauna Hermel, and I'm here today to talk about a new policy that's coming into play that will affect every cattle producer in America. So Dr. Eric Moore comes to us from Norbrook. Could you give us a little bit of background about yourself?
Eric Moore:
Yeah, absolutely. So I am a third generation veterinarian. I currently work as a Director of Technical Services for North America for Norbrook, a family owned company out of Northern Ireland that has been around about 54 years. So we're a longstanding traditional family-owned company. I reside in Topeka, Kansas, with my family and travel out of there.
Shauna Hermel:
Excellent, thank you. Now you've been talking to us for a little while about a regulation that's coming down the pipeline, and that's guidelines for industry, correct?
Eric Moore:
Yep. Guidance for Industry 263. Now, this has been a process that started over 20 years ago. If we look back to our classification of antibiotics by risk categories, we have it based on how they're important to both food, animal use, and human use, looking at antimicrobial resistance mitigation. We had the Guidance for Industry 152, Guidance for Industry 209, which was the judicious use of antibiotics. And that stated that we weren't going to use antibiotics for growth promotion and that we were going to put antibiotics under the supervision of a veterinarian, i.e. prescription status. And then we had VFD. Remember we went through that. There was a lot discussion and that-
Shauna Hermel:
The veterinary feed directive.
Eric Moore:
Veterinary feed directive. And so that was that next step. And that accounted for about 96% of the over-the-counter antibiotics that were on the market. And so this step we have coming up is the next logical step to take the other 4% of those antibiotics that are over the counter off the market, off the marketing prescription status of over-the-counter and move them to script. So we've been through this journey, we've had it, we know what happens. And at this point, after June 11th, 2023, no more antibiotics with OTC label will be entering the marketplace. So our manufacturers will stop shipping OTC-labeled antibiotics.
Shauna Hermel:
So I'm not going to be able to go down to my local Fleet Farm or farm supply store and buy a bottle of common antibiotic.
Eric Moore:
This is where the difference is between what the VFD did and what this is going to do. So when we had our VFD, veterinary feed directive took place, on that drop date in December that they changed, everything that was in the supply chain in the market went directly to prescription status, regardless of whether they had an OTC label on it or not.
And now with this, it's a little bit different that we're not going to pull product back, we're not going to change product. The only differences that we have, you'll still be able to get the same antibiotics. They'll just have a different marketing status. So we're not taking any antibiotics off the market, we're just changing the marketing status of those products. But with that said, manufacturers won't ship or won't make any more product with OTC label on it after June 11th.
Shauna Hermel:
So the label changes to a prescription product.
Eric Moore:
Yep. But the product that's in distribution and in the marketplace and in the stores we see right now will still be able to sell over the counter until that expiratory date. So there'll still be product out there and as that bleeds through the system or works out, then that product will be no more and you'll have to go the prescription status product.
Shauna Hermel:
Okay. Well that begs the question, how much of those stocks do people generally have. Are we looking at a two-month's supply or a week's supply?
Eric Moore:
Well, it probably depends on the store, depends on your animal health supplier. Those products have expiration dates on them. So usually they run between 24 and 34 months for manufacturers. So if you have product on the shelf or have it in your barn, you can still use it. That doesn't change. So you can still take the product and use it. And it really depends on what your animal health supplier's doing.
So when we talk about this, we can go back to a couple of facts. Number one is the change is going to affect some pathways that people have gotten antibiotics through. We know that. So what I'm telling producers is twofold, and I'll jump back to the first thing, is build that relationship with your veterinarian. Develop that veterinary-client patient relationship, which is a requirement to have a prescription on that. So if you do that...
And go to the veterinarian that you want to work with, and really, the conversation should start out, "How can you help me have a program with my herd that doesn't require me to use antibiotics? So I want to have a healthy herd. That's all our goal, right? And so how do we create a program? But if I do need it, how can I get it? And can you write a script? Because part of that veterinary-client-patient relationship is the veterinarian have knowledge of your operation, so they can help make sound decisions with you. And so that's step one.
Step two is go to your animal health supplier, and if your animal health supplier is going to move to gain a pharmacy license so they can still supply product to you with a veterinary prescription, is step two. So if they have intent to do that after June 11th, then they can work with them and they can still use them as a supplier with a veterinary prescription.
So there's two things you need to do figure out right away is get a relationship with a veterinarian and then ask your animal health supplier what their intent is post June 11 2023. And then you can have an idea where you can get product. Because the one thing we don't want to see in July of the summer is if a gentleman goes in or lady goes in to buy an antibiotic to treat a calf with pinkeye and they can't get it. There's none there and that turns into an animal welfare issue because we have a calf that's suffering from pinkeye, that's a painful disease. We need to get it treated and get it mitigated right away. And if the product isn't available or they've been unaware, they haven't made plans to get the product in a pathway they can obtain product, antibiotics, then we're going to have an animal welfare issue with that calf. And so we need to make sure we're planning ahead and getting things prepared.
Shauna Hermel:
Well, and that veterinary-client relationship can also help to make sure that they're using the right product at the right time as well. Correct?
Eric Moore:
That's actually a big part of why the FDA went this way. It's really to add that level of validation that we're using antimicrobials judiciously. From the outside pressures on our industry, this is one way to fend those off, maintain those tools we have in our toolbox, so we can keep them available for use.
Shauna Hermel:
You bet. Now, as far as trying to limiting the number of antibiotics that you use, of course we'd like to prevent that. Correct?
Eric Moore:
Yep. The number one key to judicial use of antibiotics is preventing the disease in the first place. And that's really what you're talking to a veterinarian about, right? They're going to have knowledge of what's going on in your area, different emerging diseases or conditions that you have in your certain geography. And so having that person on your advisory board... So if you're a rancher and you have your advisory board, you already have a banker.
Shauna Hermel:
You bet.
Eric Moore:
You have a lawyer, you have your nutritionist, you should have a veterinarian, and you should have that advisory board to keep yourself a sustainable, viable operation going forward.
Shauna Hermel:
All right. If you have to go in and get a veterinary-client relationship, and you haven't done it yet, to make the most of that relationship, what other things should you think about besides just being able to get a subscription?
Eric Moore:
Or prescription.
Shauna Hermel:
Prescription. Yeah.
Eric Moore:
Like I mentioned before, they really should help you with a holistic approach to how your operations run. The one thing we see is those silent robbers, as I call them. Those things that don't blatantly appear to you are things that slowly take profits from you as a producer. And so anywhere from fly control to that you don't notice that your calf's pinkeye case, a calf can come off 75 pounds lighter. So if you look at your pregnancy rate starts to slip. You look at those things that you can have discussion about, a holistic view of a mindset you can get from a discussion with your advisory board veterinary partner to say, "Hey, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right." Because sometimes we get to running hard in our normal routine and we don't do something once, and we don't do it again just because nothing really was visible to us that didn't happen at that time.
So really talking to your veterinarian and building that whole herd health program. One thing I will say, we've had some drought areas out there, and so if we look at things that can happen with drought, you can have those calves come off lighter that you're weaning coming off grass. Your cows come off with the lower body condition scores, so they're more likely not to breed back. Also, that fetus that calf is carrying is affected by drought as well. So we may have been putting mineral out for a while and we quit putting mineral out. And so if you have a traces mineral deficiency, that feeds back on how the immune system reacts.
So those little things, just making sure you have everything in check and having that discussion. You may pick up one thing, you may pick up five. You may be doing it right, but at least you're checking the box.
Shauna Hermel:
So what kind of advantage does it give to your veterinarian for them to have that long-term relationship with you where they see what the herd does this year and last year and the year before that you might not look for yourself?
Eric Moore:
Well, I can tell you, having been there and been in practice for 10 years, I had my own practice in central Kansas, and the most rewarding things for me as a veterinarian and with the producers we had is those continual improvements over time, those small continual improvements, and seeing that herd blossom into a vibrant, profitable, sustainable herd. Watching that, that was a big reward for me as a veterinarian.
Specifically, it's going to depend on where you're at in the geography and what you have and who you work with and the other pressures you have around there. So there's a lot of rewards, and depending on your operation, you may or may not see different types of rewards for doing that. But having a veterinarian with a mindset that they're in it for the long haul with you, is a valued partner to have going down the road.
Shauna Hermel:
Excellent. So a lot of times we like to wrap up our Angus at Work podcast with asking something new or something good that's happened to you in your life, either personal or professional. Or we're here at the Cattle Industry Convention, so maybe there's something that happened here at the show.
Eric Moore:
You bet. So when I walk around and getting these group of producers, getting this group of people together face to face, the positivity and the energy that's there is just incredible. When we look at where we're going, the innovations on the trade floor trade show here, seeing people excited about what they're doing and where it's going. There's a lot of challenges we're facing. There's a lot of things going on, but I was just listening to the NCBA president-elect as he became president, and the one comment he made that just struck home was, "Today's challenges can be tomorrow's triumphs."
Shauna Hermel:
That's definitely true.
Eric Moore:
As we look at those, whether it be going through the GFI 263, whether it be going through a drought or rain in California, any of those challenges we have, somehow we can turn those into to tomorrow's triumphs.
Shauna Hermel:
You bet.
Eric Moore:
It's something that resonated with me and really hit home. And so that's one thing we talk about. We're excited. We're launching some products here at the show, so we're happy to be in front of people again and get to tell them about what we do as a company, how we provide tools for the industry that they can treat animals in an economical fashion and do it quickly, and get them back to their productive life right away.
Shauna Hermel:
Excellent. And I understand there should be a way for people to get access to your website.
Eric Moore:
There is. Norbrook.com is where they can go there and we will have all of our products. There's contact information on there. We can get you in touch with our team in the field, or if you have any questions, you can reach out through that website.
Shauna Hermel:
Excellent. Well, on June 11th-
Eric Moore:
Yep.
Shauna Hermel:
... we aren't losing antibiotics, but we'll have a different way of accessing them.
Eric Moore:
That's absolutely correct. So, yeah.
Shauna Hermel:
Excellent. So talk to your veterinarian and make sure that you have a valid veterinary-client patient relationship. Thank you, Dr. Moore, for being with us today.
Eric Moore:
Thank you. I appreciate the time.
Kasey Brown:
Listeners, this was just the tip of the iceberg of our Cattle Industry Convention coverage. You'll find more information in both our Angus Beef Bulletin and our Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA publications. Links to subscribe to both of those are in the show notes. If you have questions or comments, let us know at abbeditorial@angus.org. There you can also drop our editor, Shauna Hermel, a note, because this was her first podcast interview.
If you find this podcast helpful, we'd sure appreciate it if you leave a rating and a review, because that helps our podcast get found by other profit-minded cattlemen. Thank you so much for listening to Angus at Work.