Regulation of Drugs Used in Feedlot Diets

Diets fed to feedlot cattle typically contain nutritional ingredients along with other substances intended for various purposes, including growth promotion and disease prevention and control. Questions often arise as to the nature of those feed additives, whether and how they are regulated, and what is legal or illegal. In this article, the author discusses regulations pertinent to the use of drugs in feedlot diets. The article includes a discussion of what a drug is, how drugs are approved in the United States, what uses of drugs in feedlot diets are legal or illegal, and what is on the horizon for future drug regulations.