In United States agricultural policy, a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) is a written statement that
authorizes the owner or caretaker of animals to obtain and use animal feed containing VFD drugs to treat their animals in accordance with the FDA-approved directions for use. A VFD drug is a new animal drug approved under section 512(b) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act , is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. A principal author of this law was Royal S. Copeland, a three-term U.S. Senator from...

. VFD drugs are limited to use under the professional supervision of a licensed veterinarian. No extra-label uses of a VFD drugs are permitted. VFD drugs are a category created as part of the Animal Drug Availability Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-250) and final regulations are published by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine

Center for Veterinary Medicine

The Center for Veterinary Medicine is a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that regulates the manufacture and distribution of food, food additives, and drugs that will be given to animals. These include animals from which human foods are derived, as well as food additives and drugs...

in 21 CFR 510,
514, and 558.