Treatments Used on Organic Dairy Farms

INTRODUCTION Organic regulations in the US strictly regulate medications may be used on organic farms (USDA, 2011). While both Canadian and EU organic standards discourage the use of antibiotics or prohibited synthetic compounds, both standards contain provisions that allow limited usage of antibiotics (without loss of organic status of the animal) under strictly defined conditions and with extended withholding periods. In contrast, U.S. organic standards contain a unique and rigorous prohibition against use of most conventional allopathic veterinary treatments. There are no FDA approved antimicrobial compounds on the USDA approved list of organic treatments and FDA guidelines do not allow for the use of unapproved drugs (regardless of whether or not the substance is a botanical, homeopathic remedy or food supplement) for treatment of food producing animals even under the supervision of a veterinarian. Organic producers are required to provide appropriate medical treatment for sick cows, but those animals that receive that care are permanently disqualified from organic production, thereby effectively providing a strong economic disincentive against the provision of necessary treatments This paper presents data collected in USDA NIFA project 2008-51106-19463, “Impact of Organic Management on Dairy Animal Health and Well-being.” More complete data can be found in CicconiHogan et al (2013), Richert et al., (in press) and Stiglbauer et al., (2013).