The Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork says the majority of pork producers will see little change when new regulations governing the on farm use of antibiotics take effect.
Health Canada has scheduled several changes in regulations related to the access and use of veterinary drugs, particularly antibiotics, to take effect December 1, 2018.
Mark Fynn, the Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork, says all of the products available now will still be available after the changes but some will be accessed through different sources and will require veterinary prescriptions.
Health Canada has done a good job of looking for consultation within the sector and within agriculture to get feedback on the proposed changes that they’ve been making so there’s been notice through that consultation process. But we’ve also been made aware of these changes well in advance, probably for a year or more that these changes were coming. I think we’re pretty well prepared for this.
One of the biggest things for us is that most if not all pork producers out there already have an established relationship ongoing with a veterinarian and so getting prescriptions for some of these health tools that they need is not too different for them and so I think the sector is well prepared to deal with these changes that are coming.
~ Mark Fynn, Manitoba Pork
Fynn says those producers who are using products that they have not talked to their veterinarians about will need to do so. He’s confident this increased veterinary oversight will improve the targeted use of these drugs, further solidify the producer’s relationship with the veterinarian and ensure that only the products that are needed to manage animal health in the herds are being used.
