FDA Reviews Recordkeeping Rules for Medicines in Animal Feed
Published Date: 11/12/2026
Notice
Summary
The FDA wants your thoughts on how vets and farmers report and keep records about medicines in animal feed. This helps make sure the rules are clear and not too tricky to follow. If you’re involved with animal feed or veterinary care, speak up by January 11, 2027, to help shape these important rules without extra hassle or cost.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 5 costs, 0 mixed.
Distributor must notify FDA before first VFD distribution
If you are a feed distributor, you must notify FDA before the first time you distribute a medicated feed containing a veterinary feed directive (VFD) (21 CFR 558.6(c)(5)). FDA estimates 91 such notifications annually, each taking about 0.12 hours (7 minutes) for a total of about 10.92 hours per year.
Distributor must notify FDA of ownership or business changes
If you are a feed distributor, you must notify FDA within 30 days of any change in ownership, business name, or business address for your VFD distribution (21 CFR 558.6(c)(6)). FDA estimates 97 such notifications annually, each about 0.12 hours (7 minutes), totaling about 11.64 hours per year.
Two-year VFD recordkeeping requirement
If you are a veterinarian, producer, or distributor, you must keep your copy of the VFD Order and related receipt, distribution, manufacturing records, and acknowledgement letters for 2 years (21 CFR 558.6(a)(4), (c)(3), (4), and (8)). FDA estimates 29,500 recordkeepers, with a total annual volume of 5,168,400 records and an average burden of 0.02 hours (1 minute) per record, totaling 103,368 hours annually.
Veterinarians' VFD disclosure and copy requirements
Veterinarians must include specified information on the VFD and provide three copies of the VFD (one for the veterinarian's records, one for the client, and one for the client's VFD feed distributor) (21 CFR 558.6(b) and related). FDA estimates 5,145 veterinarians complete an average of 34 VFD disclosures each per year, at about 0.12 hours (7 minutes) per disclosure, totaling about 20,991.6 hours annually.
Distributor-to-distributor written acknowledgement requirement
A distributor may only distribute VFD feed to another distributor if the originating distributor obtains a written acknowledgment letter from the receiving distributor before the feed is shipped (21 CFR 558.6(c)(8)). FDA estimates 2,422 distributors provide an average of 5 acknowledgement letters per year, at about 0.12 hours (7 minutes) per letter, totaling about 1,453 hours annually.
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