Advocacy - Regulatory Activities

Federal

Legislative activities

Regulatory activities

State

State legislative resources

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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

• USDA-APHIS and genetically engineered animals

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

Animal welfare

• Commercial transportation of equines to slaughter

• Foreign quarantine regulations, proposed revision of HHS/CDC animal-
importation regulations

• Minimum age requirements for transport of animals

Aquatic animal medicine

• National Aquatic Animal Health Plan for the United States

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

• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia; Interstate Movement and Import Restrictions on
Certain Live Fish

Emergency preparedness and response

• Homeland Security National Response Framework

• DHS FEMA National Advisory Council meeting

• Draft supporting documents to the National Response Framework

• National Infrastructure Protection Plan review and revision

Environmental issues

• Petition EPA to suspend the registration of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait and cancel
certain application sites (EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0684)

• Petition requesting EPA to issue a Notice of Intent to Cancel the registrations of
M-44 Sodium Cyanide Capsules and Sodium Fluoroacetate (EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-
0944)

• Possible changes in EPA certification for pesticide use

• Study of unused pharmaceuticals from medical and veterinary facilities

• Disposal of hazardous pharmaceutical wastes

• Meeting of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
(NACEPT) Subcommittee on Promoting Environmental Stewardship

Food safety

• Use of the animal raising claims in the labeling of meat and poultry products

• Food irradiation

• National Incident Management System (NIMS)

• Pet Food/Animal Feed

• Trichinae certification program

National Animal Identification System

• Animal identification numbering systems

• National Animal Identification Numbering System Implementation

Practice issues

Drugs

• Food and Drug Administration Transparency Task Force

• Risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for certain opioid drugs

• Electronic prescriptions for controlled substances

• Disposal of controlled substances

• Electronic data collection

• Extralabel use of cephalosporins in food-producing animals

• Defining small number of animals for minor use designation

• Improving procedures for FDA Advisory Committee meetings

• Prescription drugs

• Proposed collection of drug adverse event information by the FDA

Vaccines

• Electronic Freedom of Information Act involving veterinary biological products

• Guidelines for Autogenous Biologics

• Conversion formulas for S/P ratio to titer in diagnostic test kit inserts

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

• Improved vaccine labeling

• Improving vaccine expiration dating

• Labeling of equine influenza and swine influenza vaccines

• Studies to support label claims of duration of immunity

• The need for effective canine influenza virus vaccine

Public health

• BSE and Substances Prohibited From Use in Animal Food or Feed

• 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

Concluded issues:

• Animal welfare: Change to the definition of Class B licensee

• Animal welfare: Petition to issue a notice of intent to cancel the registrations of
M44 sodium cyanide capsules and sodium fluoroacetate

• Animal welfare: Requirements for the disposition of cattle that become
non-ambulatory disabled following ante-mortem inspection

• Animal welfare: FDA draft guidance document 187: "Regulation
of genetically engineered animals containing heritable rDNA constructs"

• Environmental: Proposed actions to reduce risks from rodenticides

• Food safety: Food safety of cloned animals

• Practice: Updating label requirements for conditionally licensed vaccines

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

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

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

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

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

• Practice: Changing Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus vaccine labels

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

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

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

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

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American Veterinary Medical Association