News Update
June 29, 2010

BIF Symposium Kicks Off in Columbia, Mo.

Stakeholders in the genetic improvement of beef cattle met in Columbia, Mo., June 28 for a preconference tour and opening session of the 2010 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) annual symposium themed “Gateway to Profit.”

Tour-goers visited Sydenstricker Genetics, Mexico, Mo.; Circle A Feeders, a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB)-licensed feedyard near Iberia, Mo.; McBee Cattle Co., a Braunvieh seedstock herd near Fayette, Mo.; and Warm Springs Ranch, home of the Budweiser Clydesdales. The tour concluded at the University of Missouri Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center for a presentation by Jerry Taylor on the process of genomic discovery.

Photo galleries of the tour are available at www.BIFconference.com, API’s online coverage site for the event. News coverage will be presented online at www.angus.org and archived in the www.BIFconference.com newsroom along with session summaries, proceedings, PowerPoint presentations, and audio of the speakers along with reporting of the award winners.

FDA Issues Draft Guidance on the Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Monday issued draft guidance intended to help reduce the development of resistance to medically important antimicrobial drugs used in food-producing animals.

The draft guidance outlines the FDA’s current thinking on strategies to assure that antimicrobial drugs that are important for therapeutic use in humans are used judiciously in animal agriculture. The FDA acknowledges the efforts to date by various veterinary and animal producer organizations to institute guidelines for the judicious use of antimicrobial drugs, but the agency believes additional steps are needed.

The draft guidance summarizes a number of published reports on antimicrobial resistance and states that the overall weight of evidence available to date supports the conclusion that using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production or growth enhancing purposes (i.e., non-therapeutic or subtherapeutic uses) in food-producing animals is not in the interest of protecting and promoting the public health.

The document recommends phasing in measures that would limit medically important antimicrobial drugs to uses in food-producing animals that are considered necessary for assuring animal health and that include veterinary oversight or consultation. These steps would help reduce overall use of medically important antimicrobial drugs, thereby reducing the pressure that generates antimicrobial resistance.

The agency invites comments on the draft guidance, available online and titled The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals.

For additional information, please see:

• Federal Register Notice
• Draft Guidance for Industry
• Questions and Answers

NCBA Statement in Response:

“Antimicrobial resistance is a multi-faceted and extremely complex issue that cannot be adequately addressed by solely focusing on the use of these medications in animal agriculture. Only by carefully evaluating antimicrobial resistance in a comprehensive manner that evaluates all of the peer-reviewed science related to all animal use, human use and industrial use will we effectively address this important issue.

“The industry actively monitors the international science on livestock antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance to ensure our policies and guidelines remain consistent with current knowledge on this complex issue. Ranchers have an obligation to protect cattle health and welfare. We also have an obligation to protect human health by promoting food safety and providing a safe and wholesome beef supply. The prudent and appropriate use of antibiotics and other modern compounds is an essential tool for beef producers to prevent, control and treat disease in cattle. Preventative medicine is the cornerstone of maintaining a healthy U.S. cattle herd.

“The industry’s Beef Quality Assurance program (BQA) has been training cattle ranchers about the safe and appropriate use of antibiotics for more than two decades. Beef ranchers are expected to follow the Producer Guidelines for Judicious Use of Antimicrobials, which have been in place since 1987. The guidelines are based on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and the Academy of Veterinary Consultant’s (AVC) judicious use guidelines and strengthened to include beef producer’s commitment to the importance of human use antimicrobials.

“Foundations of our Judicious Use Guidelines include preventing problems by appropriate husbandry, nutrition and cattle management; and working with veterinarians to select and use antibiotics carefully when needed. Ranchers work with their veterinarians to provide comprehensive herd-health plans to prevent problems and treat issues when they arise.

“NCBA will carefully review this draft guidance and the reports cited as the basis of their reasoning for their framework for policy on this issue. NCBA supports actions based only on sound, peer-reviewed science and risk assessment relative to the use of antibiotics. More clarity is needed in definitions related to many of the concepts in this document, and we look forward to continuing to provide input to FDA.

“As FDA officials seek stakeholder input, we encourage them to go out and visit farms and ranches to see firsthand how our producers are utilizing antimicrobials and working with their veterinarians to keep cattle healthy and ensure safe and wholesome beef.”

— Elizabeth Parker, Chief Veterinarian

— compiled by Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, Angus Productions Inc.