G. Henry Oosterhof of North Augusta and Jennifer Van Gerwin
of Puslinch have been appointed for two-year terms as directors on the Ontario
Livestock Medicines Advisory Board.
The government is grappling with at least two controversial
issues related to livestock medicines.
One is lobbying by Canadian veterinary medicine vendors to
cut off own-use provisions for farmers importing drugs and medicines from other
countries.
There are rumours of considerable imports by immigrants from
The Netherlands and by dairy farmers buying RBST from the United States.
RBST has been denied licencing in Canada because an advisory
panel told the federal government the drug prompts cows to maintain high milk
production which increases stress.
It is licenced for use in the United States where dairy
farmers commonly inject it to extend lactations for cows destined for culling.
The other issue is when and how to further restrict the use
of antibiotics to reduce the risk that harmful bacteria will develop resistance
and make it more difficult to treat people with infections and bacterial
diseases.
There has also been occasional lobbying to cancel
veterinarians’ rights to market the drugs and medicines they prescribe. That
would force farmers to fill prescriptions at a dispensary, much as humans need
to fill doctors’ prescriptions at a pharmacy.
Critics say the profits veterinarians can make dispensing
drugs influences the advice they give farmers, including advice about simply
changing management practices to counter diseases and infections.
