AMS Allows Emergency Use of Two Parasiticides in Organic Livestock Production
The National Organic Program will allow the use of two substances, fenbendazole and moxidectin in emergency treatment for organic dairy and breeder livestock. The Agricultural Marketing Service’s final rule, which is effective May 16, 2012, amends the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances1 at 7 CFR 205.603(a)(18) to add use exemptions for the two substances when organic system plan-approved preventative management does not prevent infestation, with the following restrictive annotations2: (1) fenbendazole is only for use by or on the lawful written order of a licensed veterinarian; and (2) moxidectin is for control of internal parasites only.
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1The National Organic Program established the National List in 2000. The National List identifies the synthetic substances that may be used and the nonsynthetic (natural) substances that may not be used in organic production. The National List also identifies synthetic, nonsynthetic nonagricultural and nonorganic agricultural substances that may be used in organic handling.
27 CFR 205.603(a)(18) also says, among other things: (1) the substances are prohibited in slaughter stock; (2) milk or milk products from a treated animal cannot be labeled as organic for 90 days following treatment; and (3) in breeder stock, treatment cannot occur during the last third of gestation if the progeny will be sold as organic and must not be used during the lactation period for breeding stock. The use exemption for invermectin is maintained by the final rule, although the exemption is moved to section (a)(18)(ii).
AMS press release (dated 05/11/12) available here.
(See ITT's Online Archives 11050436 for summary of the proposed version of this rule.)