Starting December 1st livestock producers will be depending on their vets more as prescriptions will be required to buy antibiotics.

This was a topic discussion at the district 13 meeting of the Manitoba beef producers earlier this week.

Brian Lemon, General Manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers, says this is one of the more significant issues affecting producers at the moment.

“Change is coming. Animal livestock is being caught up in a worldwide phenomenon where we’re losing the effectiveness of some of our antibiotics, not just for animals but for humans. As a result, Health Canada has been calming down on rules around prescribing, not just for veterinarians but for doctors as well. So it’s going to be more difficult for our producers to get a hold of some of the important drugs to look after their animals."

All producers will need to establish a vet-client-patient relationship before they can obtain a prescription for a medically important antibiotic.