July 7: Workshop explains new veterinary feed directive
MONROE, Wash. – Livestock owners must acquire a veterinary feed directive (VFD) by Jan. 1 in order to give their food-producing animals health products and feeds that contain drugs deemed medically important to humans. To help producers prepare, a free Livestock Round Pen will be held 7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds longhouse, 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.
Please register by July 5 at http://roundpen.brownpapertickets.com/. The event is sponsored by Washington State University Snohomish County Extension, Snohomish Conservation District and the fairgrounds.
To obtain a VFD, livestock owners must have an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Impacts of the directive will vary; one example: a popular medicated chick feed will no longer be available to poultry enthusiasts without a valid VFD in place.
At the event, Amber Itle from the state agriculture department will give a short presentation on the VFD and answer questions regarding implementation. Then, informal discussion groups devoted to different food-animal species will engage with experts, veterinarians and other producers to ask questions and discover new resources.
Learn more about the directive at http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/ucm071807.htm. Learn more about the Livestock Round Pen at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/RoundPen.
Contacts:
Susan Kerr, WSU Extension livestock specialist, 360-848-6151, kerrs@wsu.edu
Bobbi Lindemulder, Snohomish Conservation District, 425-377-7003, bobbi@snohomishcd.org
Kate Ryan, WSU Snohomish County Extension, 425-357-6024, kate.ryan@wsu.edu
