Since January 1, 2017, livestock owners have needed a veterinary feed directive, or VFD, to buy some medicated feeds for their animals. A VFD is similar to a prescription. Livestock owners must get VFDs from veterinarians, and must have an established relationship with a veterinarian to do so. This is a ruling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The medications that require VFDs are antibiotics that are also important for human health. A complete list is available on the FDA website. Livestock owners buying feeds containing these antibiotics are required to present a VFD order from their veterinarian. The order will have an expiration date. If any of the medicated feed is left after that date, it cannot be fed to animals. The owner, veterinarian and feed sales company must keep records of the purchase for two years. The veterinarian keeps the original order, and the owner and feed company must also keep records on file.
More details on the FDA website
List of VFD drugs
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