Frequently Asked Questions:
Question 5) Are vaccines considered drugs? How does this impact drug testing?
Yes, vaccines are considered drugs. The federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&Act) defines drugs as “articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease,” and vaccines meet this definition. Additionally, under the exhibition rules, “drug” means “any article…intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or animals or any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals…”
There is growing support to expand drug testing to other classes of livestock exhibition, such as junior livestock exhibition non-terminal shows. Beginning in 2025, the state program will offer testing for market meat goats, market dairy goats, and feeder calves (non-terminal) on a voluntary basis. If a fair or sponsor voluntarily wishes to have animals in these additional classes tested, the state will test in the same manner as other market classes. Regardless, all exhibition livestock must maintain the same status at the time of show, which is exhibition drug residue legal.
Dr. Dennis Summers, State Veterinarian and Animal Health Division Chief