AVMA delegates face packed, likely contentious, agenda during winter session

Schaumburg, Ill. — Ten resolutions — involving student-loan relief to prescribing antimicrobials — top the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) House of Delegates agenda in Chicago this month.

Antimicrobial use in livestock feeds, which was the hot-button issue during the annual convention last July, will be under consideration again this winter.

However, this time there are two resolutions, one submitted by food-animal associations, the other by the New Jersey and Maine veterinary medical associations.

Both of them encourage more veterinary direction on the use of antimicrobials.

Topics ranging from veal-calf management to non-weighted voting on animal-welfare resolutions round out the agenda.

HERE IS THE FULL LIST OF PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

RESOLUTION 1, urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make student-loan debt relief available for food-animal veterinarians; submitted by the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians and the American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians (AAFHV.)

RESOLUTION 2, allows the House Advisory Committee (HAC) to develop and propose bylaw amendments to change the term of service of Council members (with the exception of the Council on Education) from six years to three years, permitting two consecutive terms; submitted by the HAC.

RESOLUTION 3, revises the House of Delegates manual to allow reference committees to submit resolutions that pertain to the committee for consideration by the House of Delegates; submitted by the HAC.

RESOLUTION 4, urges the USDA to re-establish and fill the chief veterinary public health officer position within the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); submitted by the HAC, AAFHV and the National Association of Federal Veterinarians.

RESOLUTION 5, proposes a manual change that would open unfilled seats on Council to anyone, even those who do not meet the specific professional classifications for the seat; submitted by the HAC.

RESOLUTION 6, amends the policy on antimicrobials in livestock feed to proactively address the issue of antimicrobial resistance through science-based risk analysis; submitted by the American Association of Avian Pathologists, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.

RESOLUTION 7, extends support for the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Experience for four more years (2010-2013) after the current support ends in 2009; submitted by the Missouri, Rhode Island and Florida veterinary medical associations.

RESOLUTION 8, allows non-weighted voting for informational purposes only in the House of Delegates following official weighted voting on Animal Welfare Resolutions; submitted by the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.

RESOLUTION 9, amends the policy on antimicrobial use to emphasize the veterinarian's role in prescribing antimicrobials; submitted by the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and the Maine Veterinary Medical Association.

RESOLUTION 10, adopts one position on veal calves, titled Veal Calf Management; submitted by the Executive Board.