The importance of keeping livestock medical records
Food producers who raise livestock for human consumption are required to maintain accurate and proper treatment records for livestock that needed medication administered to them.
This ensures any animal that is intended for human consumption is free of any drugs. Sometimes an animal gets sick and antibiotics are needed to make them feel better, so as producers it is our responsibility to sell you high quality products that are free of drug residues.
Drug residue is the presence of antibiotics, antimicrobials, dewormers, anti-inflammatories, and tranquilizers that are in the animal’s meat or other animal products after the animal was administered the drug. Any meat or milk that is contaminated is a major concern for public health. Know what the withdraw time is for drugs administered to the animals.
According to Dairexnet the withdrawal periods reflect the amount of time necessary for an animal to metabolize an administered product and the amount of time necessary for the product concentration level in the tissues to decrease to a safe, acceptable level. Please remember, withdrawal times are not the same for all drugs and the species of animal receiving the drug. Always speak to a licensed veterinarian.
The United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service oversees the antibiotic testing on the meat tissue of the animals at the slaughter plants. Inspectors at the plants conduct a KIS test (Kidney Inhibition Swab) by collecting random samples from the deceased animal carcasses. The test is then completed at the plant. If a KIS test is positive, samples will be taken from the carcass and sent to the USDA lab for additional testing.
The additional testing includes testing for antibiotics, dewormers, antimicrobials, anti-inflammatories, and tranquilizers. If one of the following residues is above the safe level, the owner of that carcass will be contacted for the violation.
There are penalties set for producers who have been contacted for drug residue found in the meat of animals they have sold. They will get a warning letter from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). An on-farm visit will be conducted to review treatment records, determine why the drug was given to the animal, and any other additional information. Violators with two or more violations will be listed on the USDA repeat violators list, this list can be accessed by meat processors and livestock markets.
The FDA might also prohibit producers to sell future animals for meat because they failed to prevent drug residues in their animals. Meat processing facilities may turn away those who are listed on the violators list, or they will put them on probation and require them to prove by veterinarian documentation that the animals they sold them are free of any drug residues.
An example using a dairy cow with hoof rot
For example, you are a dairy farmer who needed to treat a lactating dairy cow for hoof rot. Your veterinarian suggested giving her a shot of penicillin to treat it. You and your veterinarian have determined the milk withdrawal time is Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. You milk twice a day, 4:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. At the 4:30 p.m. milking are you able to put her milk in the tank with the rest of the herd?
The correct answer is no because even though the withdrawal time is over the milk she produced after the4:30 a.m. milking is still in the period of time the drug was still active in her system. So, the 4:30 p.m. milking on Nov. 10 will need thrown out.
How can you protect yourself and your farm from drug residues? Keep accurate treatment records for every animal that must be administered with antibiotics, dewormers, anti-inflammatories, tranquilizers, or antimicrobials. Treatment records should include the following route and location of administration, withdrawal time, identity of the person who administer Know the withdrawal time for the drug because they are not all the same.
If you are using the drug as extra-label that can extend the withdrawal time. Always speak with your veterinarian before administering drugs and determining if that is the correct treatment path. Know the correct injection sights for the animals and if the medication needs to be administered SQ (subcutaneous) or IM (intramuscular) or IV (intravenous).
How long to keep the records
Poultry and Rabbits: 1 year
Beef, Dairy Beef: 2 years
Swine: 3 years
Sheep, Goats: 5 years
Dairy Cows & Heifers: 5 years
It is required by law that for sheep and goats you must keep your records for 5 years because of the scrapie disease.
It is required by law that for sheep and goats you must keep your records for 5 years because of the scrapie disease.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. It is among a number of diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Infected flocks can experience significant production losses. The following animals must be identified with a USDA scrapie tag: Intact sheep and goats, all sheep and goats over 18 months old (including wethers), if they were purchased outside of Ohio and entering into Ohio for breeding or exhibition.
Shelby Tedrow is an agriculture and natural resources and 4-H program assistant at OSU Extension, WayneCounty. She can be reached at tedrow.28@osu.edu.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Detailed medical records for livestock important to public health
