Downloads

 It’s time to elect people to serve on the Board of Directors. The elected directors assist the officers in running HOAGBA. Two directors represent Kansas members, one director represents Missouri members, one director represents Iowa and members living east of the Mississippi River. Two directors are elected at-large. If you are interested in serving as a director of Heart of America Game Breeders’ Association, please download the HOAGBA Director Form.  Return forms by June 1, 2023, to: Terry Smith, 14000 W. 215th St., Bucyrus, KS 66013. Information on the sheet will be printed on the ballot that is mailed to HOAGBA members in the June-July newsletter.

THIS IS THE LATEST INFORMATION 

Standards for Birds Not Bred for Use in Research Under the Animal Welfare Act

The final ruling was published February 22, 2023, in the Federal Registrar. To read the 73-page ruling, go to Federal Register :: Standards for Birds Not Bred for Use in Research Under the Animal Welfare Act There was too much information for me to absorb so I looked for something that would help to clarify what birds would be exempted from licensing, etc. Go to: USDA.APHIS.gov, when that page comes up scroll down to Animal Welfare (on the left.) When that page comes up scroll down to New Bird Rule (on the left).   This page provides a general overview of the new regulations which will serve to ensure the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of birds regulated under the Animal Welfare Act. 

This page also contains 4 videos including Introduction: Standards for Birds Not Bred for Use in Research under the Animal Welfare Act, Retail Pet Store. Take time to watch these two videos. You will learn more about the new regulation and whether you will need to be licensed There are several links on that page. I suggest you open up and read the information on List of Pet Birds as Defined by the Animal Welfare Regulations.

Lastly, there is a link Licensing and Registration Assistant. This is an anonymous online tool that determines whether you need a license or registration. I wanted to double check the results I got from filling in the online tool, so I found an email link for USDA.APHIS at the bottom of the page, told them what I raised and got a reply from them within an hour. If you wish to contact USDA.APHIS, the number is 970-494-7478 or email is animalcare@usda.gov

There is a clarification in the regulations regarding which birds are considered poultry. “The term is defined as any species of chickens, turkeys, swans, partridges, guinea fowl, and peafowl, ducks, geese, pigeons, and doves, grouse, pheasants, and quail. We believe it is more appropriate to add the term “poultry” to the definition of farm animal, and add a separate definition of poultry that lists doves, pheasants, grouse, and quail as among the birds included. The term poultry also includes ducks, geese, and swans in the family Anatidae. With regard to the second commenter, under the definition of animal, poultry used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber would be exempted from licensing. Propagation of gamebirds would fall under this agricultural exemption.” 

The HOAGBA/Gardner Auction is regulated by USDA which issued us a Class B license in order to hold the auction. After carefully reading through that section of the regulation with auctions, we may have to initiate some changes at the fall auction. I will discuss this will the USDA Inspector when he looks over the auction records.

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, a large number of people went to the USDA.APHIS website and commented on various aspects of the proposed regulation. These comments were considered when the final ruling was drafted. One thing was loud and clear when I read through the regulation, Animal Rights Groups voice their opinions when they get a chance to. From the USDA online document, “Many commenters asked that we prohibit trade of all captive birds or to require the release of captive birds to their natural habitat. APHIA does not have the authority to prohibit legal trade of birds or to require release of captive birds to their natural habitat.

gal trade of birds or to require release of captive birds to their natural habitat

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,

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.