IPDP is grateful for the Silver level sponsorship of Alltech. We certainly hope our members will learn about this company and consider their products when making purchasing decisions. Alltech is a global leader in the animal health and nutrition industry and among the top 10 animal health companies in the world, focused on natural scientific solutions to today's biggest agriculture and food industry challenges. The core business at Alltech is to provide natural solutions, technical information and support to all sectors of the animal feed industry worldwide.  For 30 years, Alltech has been at the forefront of transforming this conservative industry into a dynamic business. The lifeblood of this company is research and development and they believe in sharing their findings with their partners in order to raise awareness of and provide solutions to our industry's greatest challenges. It is an integrative process, enabled by a culture and spirit of excellence. Alltech's core competency has been yeast and natural enzyme technology and the company has applied many years of experience in innovative technologies to provide a range of natural solutions to the animal feed industry for improving animal performance and your profitability. Their superior range of natural products and solutions for the feed industry is proven, reliable and traceable. Visit www.Alltech.com or click on the logo to learn more about this innovative company. 

Antibiotic Residues in Milk? No! Here are the facts: 

WTHR, Indianapolis, launched an investigative report on the use of antibiotics on dairy farms. WTHR did a follow-up report that was more positive for the dairy industry. You can view that report here.

IPDP has had extensive information on this topic, and we are repeating it here. We urge dairy farmers to visit Animal Health Institute website on food safety and also urge you to become familiar with this issue. Please contact us with any concerns you have. 

You already know that all commercially sold milk is tested for the presence of antibiotic residues before it is allowed to be pasteurized for human consumption. In the USA, there are nearly 4 million antibiotic residue tests done annually on milk (3,958,455 in 2009) to insure that antibiotic residues are kept out of the food supply. Over 45,000 of those tests were performed on pasteurized dairy products before they were placed into distribution. Of those tests, 0 tested positive for antibiotic residues. This isn't a surprise, because  these tests are re-tests of the same milk over again. The checks and balances of our safety system are reiterated multiple times before dairy products are set on the grocery store shelves.

Rarely, a raw milk sample tests positive (0.026% in 2009). Any positive load of milk never enters the food supply, the offending dairy farmer has to pay for the dumped milk, and often the farmer  has to undergo a residue avoidance session with his/her veterinarian. This is a tremendous incentive for dairy farmers to keep antibiotic residues OUT of the milk supply!

FOLLOW THE LABEL!

When it comes to antimicrobials, farmers should follow the adage of "use them right or lose them."

Christine Hoang, assistant director, Scientific Activities Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association, operates on the premise that "it's better to prevent a disease if you can." She urges you to follow drug labels to a "T" or be prepared for the consequences. And usage of these tools in agriculture is under increasing scrutiny by the media and regulators.

So, read the product labels. "It's that simple," says Hoang. "Read the label and follow it. If you don't understand a label or want reassurance that you fully understand a label, visit with your veterinarian. If you follow your veterinarian's instructions, you should be OK."Always follow withdrawal times... and keep accurate records.

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