USDA allows more synthetic drugs in organic livestock production

American Veterinary Medical Association

February 15, 2008 

Veterinarians may now use additional synthetic drugs-atropine, butorphanol,
flunixin, furosemide, magnesium hydroxide, poloxalene, tolazoline, and
xylazine-in organic livestock production, under certain restrictions.

The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service recently
published a final rule amending the National Organic Program's National List
of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to add a handful of synthetic
substances for use in organic livestock production. The rule enacts
recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board between late 2000
and early 2005.

The USDA had received a number of comments opposing addition of any
synthetic substances in organic livestock production. The department
determined, however, that the record supports the need for livestock
medications in the interest of humane treatment.

For many of the synthetic drugs, the new rule specifies longer meat and milk
withdrawal times in organic livestock production than in traditional
livestock production. The USDA indicated that it did not use food safety
arguments to support the extension of withdrawal periods. Rather, the
department determined that longer withdrawal periods are more compatible
with consumer expectations of organic livestock production.

For atropine, the rule requires a meat withdrawal interval of at least 56
days and a milk discard period of at least 12 days in organic livestock
production. For butorphanol, the meat withdrawal interval is 42 days and the
milk discard period is eight days.

The withdrawal periods for flunixin and furosemide in organic livestock
production must be at least two times the withdrawal periods that the Food
and Drug Administration has specified for traditional production.

The new rule limits the use of xylazine in organic livestock production to
emergency situations. The rule allows tolazoline only to reverse the effects
of xylazine. For both drugs, producers must adhere to a meat withdrawal
interval of eight days and a milk discard period of four days.

The new rule permits magnesium hydroxide in organic livestock production
under the usual FDA regulations. The rule allows poloxalene only for the
emergency treatment of bloat. Also, producers may now use
peroxyacetic/peracetic acid to sanitize equipment.

The rule appeared in the Dec. 12, 2007, issue of the Federal Register. Back
issues are available at www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/browse.html.

Additional information is available from Robert Pooler, Agricultural
Marketing Specialist, National Organic Program, USDA/AMS/TM/NOP, Room
4008-So., Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20250;
phone, (202) 720-3252.

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