VFD Central, the go-to resource for Veterinary Feed Directive news, insights and updates, has launched. This resource is brought to us by Elanco Animal Health and Feedstuffs. VFD Central helps producers, veterinarians and feed manufacturers find the information most pertinent to them in a one-stop online resource center.

“The landscape for antibiotic use in livestock production continues to change and the implementation of Veterinary Feed Directives (VFDs) is no exception,” says Kerry Keffaber, D.V.M, Veterinary Medicine and Practice Advisor at Elanco. “We know that the industry will have questions, and we are prepared to provide answers.”

By 2017, antibiotics approved for both humans and animals that are used for growth promotion will no longer be allowed. Antibiotics approved to prevent, control or treat a disease will still be approved under the oversight of a veterinarian. To help the industry with this transition and understand the guidelines put forward in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Guidances 209 and 213, the site links to the official VFD rules and regulations as issued by the FDA, as well as various guidance documents on responsible antibiotic use and the latest news from the editors of Feedstuffs and industry experts.

As additional news about the FDA rulings arrive, VFD Central will be updated with relevant information to help make the industry’s transition to a VFD approval process as smooth as possible.

“We realize that implementing a VFD will require a coordinated effort between the veterinarian, producer and feed manufacturer,” says Keffaber. “With this in mind, we plan to provide specific tools for each of those audiences to help them understand their roles and responsibilities as it relates to the VFD implementation process. We recognize there may be challenges, but the industry is working together to make sure it’s a practical solution going forward.”