Drug Residue Avoidance Practices in Dairy Cattle

Practitioner and Producer Survey Responses

Abstract

Veterinary drugs are routinely used in the dairy industry. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act specifically mentions veterinarians as individuals who could be responsible for illegal drug residues in edible animal products. Despite the laws and inspection activities by federal agencies, drug residues in animal products continue to cause public health concern. Of particular concern are culled dairy cows that are eventually sold for beef. Previous research has found the greatest level of drug residue violations in beef from cull dairy cows and bob veal in the United States. As part of the development of an overall educational program for dairy beef quality assurance, an industry-wide group wanted to assess the knowledge, practices and attitudes of bovine veterinarians and dairy producers concerning beef quality assurance, with particular emphasis on drug residue avoidance. Two survey instruments were developed for dairy producers and for veterinarians in order to identify effective methods for educational outreach