APHIS Tweaks Proposal for Veterinary Accreditation

April 13, 2007 - The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has outlined possible changes to its original proposal for revamping the National Veterinary Accreditation Program.

The plan is still to establish two accreditation categories in place of the current single category. Under the original proposal, Category I accreditation would have authorized veterinarians to perform regulatory tasks on animals that people commonly keep as pets. Category II accreditation would have authorized veterinarians to perform regulatory tasks on all animals.

Comments on the original proposal led APHIS to reconsider the division between the accreditation categories. Some household pets are susceptible to diseases for which APHIS has control or eradication programs. Pet birds are susceptible to poultry diseases such as avian influenza, for example, and pot-bellied pigs are susceptible to the same diseases as farm-raised swine.

Under the supplemental proposal, Category I accreditation would authorize veterinarians to perform regulatory tasks primarily on cats and dogs-plus some exotic pets other than birds. Category I accreditation would not apply to food or fiber animals, horses, farm-raised fish, poultry, other livestock, or birds or zoo animals that can transmit diseases to livestock. Category II accreditation would still authorize veterinarians to perform regulatory tasks on all animals.

The supplemental proposal also outlined other changes to the original proposal. The full text is available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-3256.htm. Comments may be submitted until April 30.
Reprinted in part from www.avma.org

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