Prescriptions Required for Livestock Antibiotics in USA
In a move to safeguard animal welfare and protect public health, starting June 11th 2023 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new regulations requiring prescriptions for certain types of animal antibiotics. The measure aims to address growing concerns about the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture, which can contribute to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.
A recent article tells us that none of the standard antibiotic products have been banned for use, they just will not be sold over the counter (OTC) and will require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian. The intent of the FDA rule is to reduce antibiotic resistance in animal and human medicine. Examples of antibiotics that will no longer be sold OTC include Oxytetracyclines (LA 200, Scour tablets), Penicillin (injectable and mastitis tubes), Sulpha-based antibiotics (injectable and boluses), Tylosin (injectable), and Cephapirin (mastitis tubes).
No matter how you feel about FDA’s new rule for antibiotic restrictions, the point is that you do not want to lose the effectiveness of antibiotics for the treatment of sick animals in your herd. These products have not been banned from future use, but now require a veterinarian prescription to purchase and use them. Having a herd health consultant will also help you make more informed decisions about the best products and dosages to use for specific health issues.
Randox Food Diagnostics offers drug residue screening for meat, urine, egg and feed samples on the Evidence Investigator analyser which can test up to 48 samples for antibiotics, growth promoters, anthelmintics, coccidiostats and steroids in under 3 hours using our revolutionary Biochip Array Technology.
A range of rapid and accurate ELISA kits have also been developed for antibiotic testing within meat tissues.
For more information on our vast range of screening arrays available to ensure your meat products are safe please get in touch with us at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com