CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

  
 

 

 

Congressional Issues 2010
MISSOURI FARM BUREAU
Animal Health



Missouri Farm Bureau

Kevin Craig - "Liberty Under God"

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)  
Reports of inconclusive BSE tests cause excessive market volatility. Therefore, we believe that USDA should not report BSE tests unless they have a confirmed case. When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, nobody alive believed they had given the new government power to intervene in local agriculture, even in issues of "animal health." No power was given to the federal government in these areas through the Constitution, and Congress has no authority to delegate such powers to administrative agencies like the USDA.
Brucellosis  
We favor an accelerated national eradication program for brucellosis. We support a research program to develop a better vaccine for both cattle and calves.  
We oppose reducing available funds from the state or national eradication programs.  
We encourage producers to voluntarily vaccinate.  
May of 2010 marks the five year anniversary of Missouri receiving brucellosis-free accreditation from USDA and the the current mandatory testing surveillance program will no longer be required. We encourage the Missouri Department of Agriculture to keep an aggressive testing and surveillance program for brucellosis (adequately funded by the state legislature) in place after the current program expires.  
Diagnostic Laboratories  
We recommend that continued emphasis be placed on expanding the technology of the area diagnostic laboratories. Area laboratories should be maintained as they are very beneficial to the state's livestock and poultry industries for disease detection and control.  
We recommend developing laboratories in areas of the state where needed.  
We recognize the importance of protecting our animal industry. Therefore, we support the efforts to increase diagnostic and animal disease research facilities and capability for the protection of our livestock and wildlife populations.  
Interstate Movement  
We favor enforcement of embargoes against importation of livestock from states which do not have effective disease control programs (brucellosis, pseudorabies and tuberculosis). voluntarily enforced?
Medications  
Continued access to animal health medicines approved as safe by the Food and Drug Administration is essential for animal well-being and ultimately the production of safe and healthful meat, poultry and dairy products for consumers. We oppose restrictions on antibiotic use based on unscientific claims.  
We support and encourage the education of users of animal pesticides and medications to ensure their safe use. However, we oppose requiring certification of the user of animal pesticides and medications (e.g., ear tags, wormers, implants, etc.), but suggest that producers strictly adhere to all labeled directions for use.  
It is imperative that there be state oversight of the dispensing of veterinary prescription drugs by a non-veterinarian. In order to ensure the quality, safe handling, and accurate dispensing of these drugs, it is important for this authority to be granted to a state entity with the resources and expertise to meet these obligations. As the only state without this oversight, Missouri will become a dumping ground for unsafe, foreign-sourced drugs.  
We believe that veterinarians should be able to sell over-the-counter drugs under the same rules and regulations as retail suppliers.  
While we recognize the need to control veterinary prescription drugs, we believe the interpretation of present statutes and rulings by the Division of Professional Registration can cause real harm to those in the livestock industry. We would therefore recommend that all veterinary pharmaceutical inspections be transferred to the jurisdiction of the State Veterinarian along with the proper funding.  
Pseudorabies  
We support full federal funding for both laboratory services and field personnel for Missouri's pseudorabies program and support mandatory testing for pseudorabies.  
State Veterinarian  
We believe the Missouri State Veterinarian should assume the lead role in detecting and developing a feasible plan to combat maladies affecting livestock. This includes coordination with other state agencies as well as officials at the local, state and national levels.  
Veterinarians  
We believe admittance to veterinary school should be based on academic qualifications rather than referrals.  
We favor continued funding of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  
We encourage students to enter large animal practice. We also support legislation that provides financial aid for new veterinarian graduates that practice large animal medicine in underserved rural areas .  

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