Starting in May and ending in August the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), in collaboration with the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will be
contacting feedlots gathering information about their antimicrobial use and stewardship practices.
According to the statement from the NAHMS the study is planned to be biennial and will have the following objectives.
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Describe antimicrobial-use practices in feed and water on feedlots with a capacity of at least 50 head.
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Estimate the percentage of feedlots administering and the percentage of cattle receiving specific antimicrobials in feed and water by reasons for use.
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Provide baseline data on antimicrobial-use practices in place prior to implementation of FDA policy changes. This baseline can be used for evaluating trends over time.
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Describe antimicrobial stewardship practices on U.S. feedlots.
Their goal for the study is:
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Information on antimicrobial-use practices will provide transparency to consumers and others regarding why antimicrobials are used in cattle feed and/or water.
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Information will also be provided on the percentage of operations using specific antimicrobials in cattle feed and/or water.
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Information from this study will provide a national snapshot of antimicrobial stewardship practices, such as recordkeeping related to antimicrobial use and whether a veterinarian was consulted in the decision to use antimicrobials.
