Advocacy - Regulatory Activities

Federal

Legislative activities

Regulatory activities

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Advocacy > Federal > Regulatory activities

Federal regulatory activities

The U.S. Congress creates laws and delegates authority for implementation of the laws to federal regulatory agencies. The agencies then draft regulations for implementing the laws, and this process involves a public comment period. On behalf of members, the AVMA monitors, reviews, and responds to proposals made by federal regulatory agencies that impact the profession and the practice of veterinary medicine.

Here is a sample of regulatory issues the AVMA is currently working on:

Animal Health

• Changing prohibitions on materials included in animal feed or food

• National Veterinary Accreditation Program – Proposed rule changes 6/1/06

• National Veterinary Accreditation Program – Supplemental to proposed rule
changes 2/27/07

Animal welfare

• Commercial transportation of equines to slaughter

• Change to the definition of Class B licensee

• Foreign Quarantine Regulations, Proposed Revision of HHS/CDC Animal-
Importation Regulations

• Petition to Issue a Notice of Intent to Cancel the Registrations of M44 Sodium
Cyanide Capsules and Sodium Fluoroacetate

Aquatic animal medicine

• Issuing health certificates for export of live finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, and their products

Emergency preparedness and response

• Homeland Security National Response Framework

• Draft supporting documents to the National Response Framework

Environmental issues

• Possible changes in EPA certification for pesticide use

• Proposed actions to reduce risks from rodenticides

Food safety

• Food irradiation

• Food safety of cloned animals

• Trichinae certification program

Practice issues

Drugs

• Improving procedures for FDA Advisory Committee meetings

• Index drugs: Making more drugs legally available for non-food minor species

• Making additional drugs available for minor species and minor uses in major species

• Prescription drugs

• Prohibiting extralabel use of adamantane and neuraminidase inhibitor anti-influenza drugs in poultry

• Proposed collection of drug adverse event information by the FDA

Vaccines

• Evaluating the compatability of vaccine components in combination biological products formed by assembling previously licensed products.

• Instituting a post-marketing surveillance program for animal vaccine adverse events

• Improving vaccine expiration dating

• Labeling of equine influenza and swine influenza vaccines

• The need for effective canine influenza virus vaccine

• The requiring of a warning label on biological products of equine serum or plasma origin intended for use in horses.

• Updating label requirements for conditionally licensed vaccines

Public health

• Expanded importation from BSE minimal risk areas and the National Animal Identification System

• Department of Health and Human Services' strategic plan goals and objectives FS
2007-2012

• Foreign Quarantine Regulations, Proposed Revision of HHS/CDC Animal -
Importation Regulations

• Monkeypox and restrictions on African rodents, prairie dogs, and certain other
animals

Other regulatory areas in which the AVMA is involved:

Workplace safety

Recently closed regulatory issues:

• Practice issue: Changing Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus vaccine labels

• Practice issue: Including specific leptospiral serovar(s) on canine vaccine labels

• Practice issue: Making a new embutramide-based euthanasia solution a controlled substance

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American Veterinary Medical Association