References
Medicine storage
Abstract
Veterinary care for medicines used on farm is a priority. The farm health team must receive specific training in how to use, manage and dispose of the medicines used on the farm. The veterinary surgeon, as a coach and leader, is in the ideal position to offer this training and auditing. It is vital to ensure that all medicines, both those prescribed by the veterinarian and others, are stored and used appropriately, to ensure maximum welfare benefits to the pigs and benefit to mankind. Good medicine storage and use, results in reduced costs to the farm health team through reducing wasted product. This article, primarily uses pig farms as examples where training provided the necessary resolution to enhanced medicine storage.
Responsible use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) and Red Tractor® have introduced the requirement for specific training on responsible and competent medicine use in livestock to be included in their requirement protocols (RT® version 5:1 2021). One person, at least, on each farm should hold a certificate of attendance of training.
Training in the responsible and competent use of medicines has been carried out by veterinary surgeons since the conception of the profession. The Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) specifically has discussed this matter in depth for over 20 years (Carr, 1996). Adoption of good management practices by the UK pig industry has led to changes throughout the global livestock industry (Carr, personal observation).
Opportunities to provide training to clients on proper medicines use, can be encouraged by on-farm auditing systems. These opportunities need to be grasped by the profession. Not only is this good practice, but also an additional income stream. The veterinary surgeon needs to become the ‘coach’ on the farm. The veterinary surgeon is the expert in responsible and competent medicine use in livestock on the farm and this expertise needs to be effectively passed on. This paper provides our colleagues with examples the authors' practice uses to illustrate one specific area, medicine storage, as a guide to developing such a training course.
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