January 3, 2008

Wyoming to establish distributorship for in-feed antibiotics

Wyoming will set up its own feed distributorship of Aquaflor (florfenicol) after feed mills find it hard to process for small-batch demands.  

Recent approvals for florfenicol by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided the necessary antimicrobial treatments for catfish and freshwater-reared salmonids.

However, the veterinary feed directive (VFD) drug classification for florfenicol alsoo created some challenges to feed companies and growers, particularly when only small batches of the medicated feed are required.

Wyoming Game & Fish, hoping to remedy the issue, sought approval from FDA to establish its own feed distributorship and allow the state agency to receive medicated feed directly from the mill and then deliver it to fish-culture facilities as ordered by a veterinarian through a VFD.

Given this arrangement, either a company or a wildlife agency can receive fish feed in 40 or 50 pound increments as a feed distributor without the requirement of a VFD order.

The feed distributor can maintain a feed inventory and distribute the exact prescribed amount to a fish-culture facility upon receiving a VFD.