Members of the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) announced today their intent to — Members of the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) announced today their intent to work with the Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD), Health Canada to align all affected antibiotics with the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) policy on prudent use of antibiotics. Under the policy, the growth promotion uses of medically important antibiotics will be phased out in conjunction with the implementation
of veterinary oversight for the therapeutic antibiotics used in feed and water. FDA anticipates the new policywill be fully phased in over the next three years, and Health Canada’s recent “Notice to Stakeholders”indicates that timelines align.
CAHI recommends that this new initiative be an undertaking of the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC). The goal of the Canada-U.S. RCC is to better align our regulatory systems and boost North American trade and competitiveness and is a natural home for this type of initiative. CAHI also encourages continued progress on Health Canada’s regulatory modernization agenda, including addressing the issue of oversight on importation and use of non-approved drugs within the same timeline to strengthen prudent use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine.
Successful implementation of this policy means that medically important antibiotics will only be used in food animals under the direction of a veterinarian when there is a specific disease challenge. “We understand that consumers have concerns about medically important antibiotics being used to promote growth,” said CAHI President Jean Szkotnicki. “We hope this change will increase consumer confidence and lead to a more productive discussion about animal welfare, sustainability and public health.”
Source: OntarioPork