Milk producers group updates dairy cattle manual

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Milk Producers Federation has released a new manual intended to help improve animal health, while minimizing the chances of unwanted traces of pharmaceuticals getting into the food supply.

The 2011 Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention manual is a revision of the Milk and Dairy Beef Residue Avoidance manual that was previously published by the Dairy Quality Assurance Center that NMPF purchased in 2008.

Website

As a new area of focus for the National Dairy FARM Program, the manual can be found online at www.nationaldairyfarm.com under the Residue Prevention tab of the site. The manual is only available free through the website.

The Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention manual is a concise review of appropriate antibiotic use in dairy animals. The manual is a quick resource to review those antibiotics approved for dairy animals, and can also be used as an educational tool for farm managers as they develop their best management practices necessary to avoid milk and meat residues.

“I encourage all dairy farmers to sit down with their veterinarian and all employees to review this manual because I think they will find the information useful, practical, and easily applied to their farms,” said Karen Jordan, DVM, chair of the NMPF Animal Health and Welfare Committee and a dairy producer from Siler City, N.C.

“The dairy industry is committed to producing safe, abundant, and affordable milk and dairy beef of the highest quality. Healthy animals help make for safe food and disease prevention is the key to keeping cows healthy,” Jordan said.

Purpose. The National Dairy FARM Program was created by NMPF to demonstrate and verify that U.S. milk producers are committed to providing the highest levels of quality assurance including animal care, residue prevention, and other on-farm practices.

For more information on the National Dairy FARM Program, contact Betsy Flores at 703-243-6111 or visit www.nationaldairyfarm.com.