FARAD Survives

January 2, 2008 — 

The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database (FARAD) received a last minute infusion of funds to allow them to continue operations for another year.

FARAD is a cooperative effort involving North Carolina State University, the University of California-Davis and the University of Florida administered through the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Its mission is to maintain a database designed to provide livestock producers, extension specialists, and veterinarians with practical information on how to avoid drug, pesticide and environmental contaminant residue problems. The database includes:

• Current label information including withdrawal times of all drugs approved for use in food-producing animals in the United States and on hundreds of products used in Canada, Europe and Australia.
• Official tolerances for drug and pesticides in tissues, eggs and milk.
• Descriptions and sensitivities of rapid screening tests for detecting residues in tissues, eggs and milk.
• Database with approximately 5000 scientific articles with data on residues, pharmacokinetics and the fate of chemicals in food animals.

In existence since 1982, FARAD has consistently struggled to secure adequate funding to maintain this unique database and provide access to veterinarians and produces. The AVMA, AASV and NPPC have worked to get Congress to permanently fund the project and were successful in getting FARAD included in the 2007 Farm Bill currently being debated. Hopefully, this will result in an ongoing source of funding to support this effort.

The information available through FARAD can be an invaluable resource when using drugs extra-label to determine extended withdrawal times necessary to comply with AMDUCA. Expert-mediated assistance is available by calling FARAD at 1-888-USFARAD or by using the searchable database, FARAD VetGRAM, available online (access requires that you register first through the member services link on the homepage.