Remove/Repeal prescription requirements for livestock

Food
1

Remove prescription requirements for livestock

As of June 11, 2023, a veterinarian’s prescription is required to purchase certain animal medications, including antibiotics, for livestock and pets in the United States. This new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aims to reduce the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture, which can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

This hurts the small farms and increases the cost to the end consumer. Normally all farms that have animals only spend the extra money on antibiotics when it is required or needed because of the extra cost. If this truly is being abused, maybe those that are caught are required or put on a blacklist. Why does 99% of the population have to be punished for the 1% of the abusers? Maybe there can be a change such as a company that is caught being put on blacklist. Those who abuse it will still usually find a way around to continue to abuse it. In the end, I would like to see defined numbers on the number of abusers and then to see if these rules stop the abusers. If so, implement only for the few rather than for everyone. This change seems to have been rushed and implemented without firm studies or numbers.

4 Likes
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Thank you for proposing this…
As a small farmer, a 500ml bottle of Oxytetracycline would last me two years. Rarely needed it, but when you need it , you need it now.
It costs $100-200 travel time, plus another $100 or more for vet services.
Thats a huge cost for a bottle of antibiotics than sells for $35. And you better hope you don’t need the vet during lambing/kidding season. It could take days before they can get to you.
Dead and suffering animals is not my goal as a farmer.

5

Agree. Drugs are over used, especially in livestock. Animals have natural immunity to most ailments they could encounter. I’d love to see farmers be able to be more natural in their raising livestock.