Agricultural News
Pharmaceutical Spokesman Says VFD May be Some Extra Work but will Prove Beneficial for Industry
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 17:33:09 CST
With the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) quickly approaching, scheduled to take effect January 1, 2017, Radio Oklahoma Network intern and Oklahoma State University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources student Kalee Horn, spoke recently with Boehringer-Ingelheim's Dr. Scott King, director of marketing for the pharmaceutical company's cattle division, to find out how he believes VFD will impact the industry and the way producers manage their operations.
"Judicious use of antibiotics has been a hot topic and it's even more so now with the Veterinary Feed Directive going to be in place," King said, acknowledging the important role antibiotics play in managing the health of animals in production agriculture. "It's overall going to be a little more work to get started but in the end, I think it's going to really build confidence with our consumers and that's also going to be key to the health of the cattle industry."
Dr. King says people will always have to learn to adapt to new regulations when they are put in place, but he contends these rules help to encourage innovation in the industry to better meet the demands of today's consumer market. This attitude can be observed outwardly by a current merger in the works between BI and Merial, in effort to do exactly that. King says he and his colleagues are excited to see what innovation and services will come out of this merger to better serve their customers.
Believing the American producer and the cattle industry as a whole, to be uniquely inventive, King suggests better production practices will arise from the parameters of the VFD. For producers feeling anxious over how VFD will affect them, his message is simple.
"Don't get too excited about it," King said. "Reach out to your veterinarian and they'll help you navigate through the ends and outs of the Veterinary Feed Directive."
Listen to Horn's interview with Dr. King about the VFD and BI's merger with Merial, by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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