Livestock Medicines and Livestock Medicines Outlets
In Ontario, livestock owners may purchase a certain class of drugs, known as livestock medicines, from retail outlets for use in their animals under the Livestock Medicines Act (LMA). These medicines do not require a veterinary prescription. The LMA is administered by the Animal Health and Welfare Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The LMA regulates the sale of medicines to livestock owners at licensed livestock medicines outlets. The Act ensures that outlets only sell specific types of livestock medicines, and that they are sold in a responsible manner by knowledgeable individuals. Vendors must obtain a license in order to sell livestock medicines, and are subject to an annual audit by an inspector appointed under the LMA. Livestock medicines permitted for sale in Ontario are listed by active ingredient in Regulation 730 under the LMA. General Information
Legislation LinksInformation for Livestock Medicines Vendors
Information for Livestock Owners
LinksQuestions & AnswersWhat is the difference between medicines only available from a veterinarian and medicines available at a livestock medicines outlet? Medicines only available from a veterinarian are prescribed and are not
permitted for sale at livestock medicines outlets. A diagnosis is made
after examining the animal(s), and the dosage, length of treatment and
route of administration of the medicine are prescribed for the animal(s)
by the veterinarian. Who sells livestock medicines? Retailers of farm supplies, animal feeds and tack frequently sell various forms of livestock medicines. These locations are referred to as livestock medicines outlets. The type of products sold and the inventory available varies greatly from location to location. What medicines are outlets permitted to sell? Permitted medicines are listed in the Schedule of Regulation 730 under the Livestock Medicines Act. Page 36 of the Livestock Medicines Compliance Manual outlines the approved medicines in the following categories: topicals, vitamins/minerals, antimicrobials, antiparasitics, steroids, biologicals, and miscellaneous medicines. These medicines do not require a veterinary prescription because Health Canada has designated them as safe to be sold to producers for use on their own animals. Livestock producers must follow the label directions, and any variation from the directions is considered extra-label use and should only be done under veterinary supervision. What are the requirements for storage of these medicines? Livestock medicines outlets licensed under the LMA must sell all medicines
in the containers in which they were received, and they must be stored
at the temperature prescribed by the manufacturer. All livestock medicines,
regardless of whether or not they require refrigeration, must be stored
and sold in an area designated for that purpose. For example, the LMA
requires that no human food or medicines be stored in the same area as
livestock medicines so that contamination is avoided. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible
for administering the LMA. Ministry Animal Care Specialists appointed
under the Act are responsible for performing unannounced inspections of
livestock medicines outlets to ensure vendors are operating in accordance
with the requirements of the Act. What does the inspector look for at these facilities? During an inspection, an inspector performs an audit of the premises where livestock medicines are sold. A report of the inspection is reviewed with the operator and a copy is left at the premises. See page 37 of the Standards of Compliance Manual for a copy of this report. Inspectors also review sales practices, medicine storage and advertising, and records. Medicines must be properly stored in sanitary conditions. Sales inducements for livestock medicines are not permitted, and non-designated or expired products are not permitted to be sold. The inspection scoring system allows the outlet 200 points for each inspection
and points are deducted if the facility is not operating in accordance
with the Act. Different point values are deducted depending on the nature
of the violation. For example, if the outlet operator has any type of
antibiotic for sale that is expired, 30 points will be deducted from the
initial 200 points. Once a retailer is licensed to sell livestock medicines, how often is the facility inspected and how often is the licence renewed? A Class 1 license issued under the LMA expires within one year of its issuance (up to and including July 31). Class 1 licenses may be obtained by a livestock medicines outlet operator for the sale of medicines listed in the Schedule of Regulation 730 at a permanent and established place of business. Outlets are typically inspected annually or more frequently if follow-up inspections are required due to non-compliance. Class 2 licenses may be obtained by holders of Class 1 licenses for the
sale of livestock medicines at a temporary location such as an agricultural
exhibition, a horse show, or at premises used for horse racing. The licensee
is only permitted to sell livestock medicines this facility for the duration
indicated on the license. Under the LMA, livestock medicines vendors are not permitted to deliver
livestock medicines without possessing an invoice by which the livestock
owner clearly authorized the delivery in advance. Vendors are not permitted
to sell medicines at the time of delivery. Everything must be arranged
prior to the delivery. Dairy sanitizers, teat dips and udder washes are
the only products that are exempt from this requirement. Yes, inspectors appointed under the LMA are permitted to seize medicines if they have reason to believe the operator is not licensed or that a licensed operator is in some way contravening the Act or its regulations. Inspectors also have the power to sample any substance for analysis and to request records and documents from the outlet operator.
Approved methods of disposal of livestock medicines include returning the product(s) to the manufacturer or distributor, removal by a waste disposal company, and asking about preferred methods of livestock medicines disposal in your municipality. Expired livestock medicines should never be disposed of with regular household waste, given away, or flushed down the drain (see the Standards of Compliance Manual for more information). Why are inducements to sell livestock medicines not permitted? Inducements to sell livestock medicines include offering them for sale in a manner that encourages the purchase of another product or selling non-livestock medicine products in a manner that encourages the purchase of a livestock medicine. Examples include selling horse dewormers as "buy one get one free," or offering free livestock medicines with the purchase of feed. Inducements such as these are not permitted by the LMA because it may encourage over-buying of livestock medicines (see the Livestock Medicines Act Factsheet (Order No. 93-029) for more information on inducements). Are retailers permitted to re-package and/or re-label livestock medicines and sell them? The LMA does not allow livestock medicine outlet operators sell products
that have been re-packaged or re-labelled. All livestock medicines must
be sold in the container provided by the manufacturer along with the original
labelling. Inspections and point deductions are based on three main categories of livestock medicines permitted for sale at licensed livestock medicines outlets.
Different livestock medicines must be stored in different ways according to the instructions on the manufacturer's label. For instance, vaccines and some antibiotics must be refrigerated. If an inspector finds expired livestock medicines for sale from group 1, 30 points will be deducted for each different product found in violation. Group 2 medicines result in a 20 point deduction, while group 3 medicines result in a 10 point deduction. If medicines are being sold which are not permitted for sale under the LMA, there is an automatic 100 point deduction. What is the role of the Livestock Medicines Advisory Committee? The Livestock Medicines Advisory Committee is comprised of members who represent all aspects of the livestock industry and are appointed by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs under the LMA. Members provide recommendations to the Minister on matters pertaining to the administration of the Act. Under s. 2 (5) of the Act, the committee is responsible for:
As an example, the committee may recommend the addition or deletion of medicines listed in the schedule of the LMA that are permitted to be sold at livestock medicines outlets. Contact InformationAnimal Care Specialist (Western and North-Western) Animal Care Specialist (Eastern and North-Eastern) Agricultural Information Centre
For more information: Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300 Local: (519) 826-4047 E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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