Tom Harkin: “I am pleased to that we are today seeing Senate passage of this important legislation. I especially want to thank…”

“I am pleased to that we are today seeing Senate passage of this important legislation. I especially want to thank Senator Kassebaum for her efforts in working out the details of this consensus bill and in arranging for its passage as a freestanding measure. I also want to thank Senator Kennedy for his cooperation and efforts in clearing the bill for passage. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the legislation. It has been very gratifying to have been a part of the process of reaching agreement on the provisions of this bill among representatives of the animal drug industry, livestock and poultry producer organizations, consumers and the Food and Drug Administration. In particular, I would like to commend Dr. Stephen Sundlof, Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at FDA for his hard work and cooperation in reaching consensus on this bill. This has been an exemplary effort in reaching a common-sense balance between the need for adequate regulation and the practical realities of livestock and poultry production. The bill does not in any way weaken the protections for human health contained in current law pertaining to animal drugs. The bill does, however, streamline the animal drug approval process, primarily by removing unnecessary and duplicative testing and investigation requirements found in current law. By reducing unnecessary requirements in the approval process, the approval of new animal drugs will become less costly and time consuming.”