Downloads

ACCESS TO RODENTICIDES IS UNDER ASSAULT BY U.S. EPA  

(The above PDF explains the ramifications of this proposal and some facts about the use of rodenticides.)

The U.S. EPA is in the process of deciding how people will be able to access and use rodenticides. It has recently released for public comment four sweeping Proposed Interim Decisions (PID’s) that will significantly impact your access to and usage of all rodenticides regardless of active ingredient. As you know, rodenticides are the primary, most effective tool used to provide protection to agricultural operations from the disease and destruction caused by out-of-control rodent populations.  While there is a wide array of implications associated with EPA’s unprecedented, proposed changes, the most disturbing aspect is the RECLASSIFICATION OF ALL BULK RODENTICIDES TO RESTRICTED USE PRODUCTS (RUP). If these measures are allowed to go into effect, the repercussions to the agricultural community’s ability to defend against rodents will be nothing short of catastrophic.  

You can voice your opposition at www.protectthepublichealth.com. In addition to providing user specific information, this website will aid those impacted by the proposed changes in the following ways:

· Provides direct links to download the full details of each PID

· Allows users to select a letter that represents their ‘voice’

· Allows users to easily submit their ‘voice’ letter to each of the affected rodenticide dockets 

o Ensuring their ‘voice’ is represented in the public comments to which EPA is required to respond

· Allows users to directly submit ‘voice’ letter to both Senate and Congressional representatives.

I clicked on the link, filled in the personal information and submitted my opposition citing specific information I found in the PDF download.  When I hit SUBMIT my message was automatically sent to my Senators and Representatives and the appropriate government agencies.  You must voice your opposition in order to product your hobby,

Standard For Birds Not Bred For Use In Research Under the Animal Welfare Act

Several people have asked me about the USDA-APHIS proposed regulations for bird breeders. This is an update on the proposed Standard For Birds Not Bred For Use In Research Under the Animal Welfare Act that was published in the Federal Register on February 22, 2022. You can find the proposed rule at this link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2020-0068-8062. 29,611 comments were recorded when the 60-day comment period closed on 5/25/2022. According to APHIS, all comments will be read and considered prior to formulation of a final rule. I have been emailing John Collins, president of Carolinas/Virginias Pheasant and Waterfowl Society. According to him, the final proposal will be made available on 2-14-23. Implementation will be 2024. Game birds are exempt, however breeders (defined as "5 hens or more") are not exempt from vet visits according to the standing proposal. The reg is targeted primarily at the pet industry and hookbill communities. He went on to say that while people were lobbying at the national level, Animal Rights Groups did a shotgun approach to state law makers. In SC, it is now illegal to own, possess or sell pheasant eggs, move any game birds across state lines without permits etc. In NC, it is illegal to own turkeys, the list for GA is very long....we have a lot of work to do. I have posted a PDF article “Aviculture and the Pet Industry Today” which John posted to the CVPWS Facebook page. If you breed any type of cage birds, Canaries, Parrots - this should be of interest to you.

The Days of OTC Antibiotics Are Numbered

By Terry Smith 

Information in this article was obtained from various web-sites dealing with 

GFI #263

When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started implementing Guidance for Industry #213 or the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) in 2017, it was focused on veterinary oversight of medically important antibiotics administered to livestock via feed and/or water. This left a significant loophole for those products that were available over-the-counter (OTC). 

On June 11, 2021, FDA published Guidance for Industry #263 which allowed them to close this loophole by removing all remaining medically important antibiotics from OTC status. The rationale behind Guidance for Industry #263 is: “Any antibiotic use can contribute to antibiotic resistance, so it's important to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate uses of antibiotics. GFI #263 puts the responsibility for the use of medically important antibiotics into the hands of veterinarians, who are trained to understand not only when these medications are needed, but also what is the appropriate drug, dose, duration, and administration method to resolve infection and protect animal health and our food supply. The veterinarian's expertise is critical to ensuring the responsible use of antibiotics in animals.”

Once this change is made, these important drugs can only be used in animals under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, even if the animals are not intended for food production. From pet dogs and cats to backyard poultry, and from pet rabbits and pigs to large livestock, the same restrictions apply. All these medically important antibiotics will require a prescription from a veterinarian to be purchased and used.

When Guidance #263 was published on June 11, 2021, drug manufacturers had a two-year period to make label changes and come into compliance with the guidance. It recommended that manufacturers of medically important antimicrobial drugs that continued to be available OTC and were approved for use in companion animals and food producing animals, regardless of how the medication was administered, to voluntarily bring these products under veterinary oversight or prescription marketing status. These product labels will now contain the prescription (Rx) statement, "Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian." Products with the RX label can only be purchased with a prescription even if they are available before the June 11, 2023 date.

All products covered under Guidance #263 will be removed from OTC availability by June 11, 2023. It is expected is that OCT products will disappear from store shelves as manufacturers finalize label changes and refine their marketing and distribution channels to assure compliance with prescription requirements. 

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine CVM will not object if OTC-labeled products that entered distribution channels before June 11, 2023, continue to be sold and used until such products have been depleted as long as the expiration date is good. Timelines for depletion may vary but should be consistent with normal sales volume and expiration dates for a given product. 

When the VFD was put in place in 2017, some suppliers no longer stocked antibiotics and declined to offer products as they unable to meet the legal burden of acting as a “Pharmacy” which required them to review veterinary authorized prescriptions and track refills of those prescription products. Under Guidance # 263, licensed suppliers who continue to stock products with the Rx label will only being able to sell to someone has a veterinary prescription. 

· Oxytetracycline

· Sulfisoxazole

· Oxytetracycline, Polymyxin B

· Sulfamethazine

· Sulfabromomethazine

 · Erythromycin

· Tylosin

· Sulfadimethoxine

· Sulfomyxin

· Sulfachlorpyridazine

· Spectinomycin

· Lincomycin

· Chlortetracycline

· Penicillin G Procaine, Novobiocin

· Dihydrostreptomycin, Penicillin G Procaine

· Tetracycline

· Penicillin G Procaine

· Dihydrostreptomycin

· Penicillin G Benzathine, Penicillin G Procaine

· Gentamicin

· Cephapirin

· Cephapirin Benzathine

These antibiotics are not being removed from the market, but are being brought under veterinary oversight in order to combat overuse/misuse due to OTC access. Guidance # 263 affects only medically important antibiotic products. Antiparasiticides, injectable and oral nutritional supplements, oral pro/prebiotics and topical non-antibiotic treatments will not be affected and will remain available OTC. 

Farmers and breeders who already have a VCPR (Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship) in place and purchase their animal health products from their veterinary office or distributors under an existing prescription system, will notice little change in their ability to obtain antibiotics. Farmers and breeders who don’t consult a veterinarian on a regular basis will need to establish a valid VCPR prior to purchasing these products as they start to disappear from OTC access. The definition of a valid VCPR may vary from state to state so check with the Animal Health Department in your state. 

It’s time to start thinking about the spring auction. Chickens, guineas, turkeys, peafowl, pheasants, & quail must be pullurom– typhoid tested and you must present legible VS Form 9-2 signed by a certified tester before the birds are unloaded. Remember: NO waterfowl, pigeons, or doves need to be tested In addition to PT test papers, out of state sellers need an import permit in order to sell birds and animals. Papers must be turned in to the check-in table. Go to the Kansas Animal Health web site to find forms or you can call 785-564-6602. Permits are good for a year.

Stephanie Anderson and Steven Graham are  taking over the face book page Nick Tull started in 2021 for directly posting auction consignments and pictures to the HOAGBA face book group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/524014985524720/?ref=share The page had to been deleted last fall because it was abused by people posting ads for baby-sitters house cleaning crews, etc. Last month I clicked on it when I was on the HOAGBA website, and there was an option for starting it up again if someone would volunteer to be the administrator. Stephanie agreed to be an administrator and cleaned up the site. Steven will serve as co-administrator. You can post consignments and pictures as well as birds you need, but the post will not be available for viewing until it has been approved by one of the administrators. This precaution was taken to insure that the group page does not become a junk posting page. I should be able to copy these posts and transfer them to the club web site and Craigslist.

I need your auction consignments no later than February 15 so I can get them posted on the web site and Craigslist. If you have photos of your consignments email them to me so that I can add them to the photo gallery on the web site. Give me a call or email me if you can help get the auction information posted to Craigslist for 27 different cities. I will email you a file which you can cut and paste as well as some pictures. In addition to posting the original file, consignments may have to be update