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FARAD is a USDA/CSREES sponsored project that originated with the Residue Avoidance Program in 1982. Today, it is a collaboration of North Carolina State University, University of California-Davis, and the University of Florida that has become crucial to the maintenance of a residue-free food supply to the American public. It is important to recognize that FARAD works with residues that can be from either drugs used in veterinary practice, agricultural chemicals or outright environmental contaminants. It is unfortunate but livestock could be exposed to the latter as a consequence of agri-terrorism and, in the event of such an occurrence, expertise within FARAD would be key to mitigation of exposure risk. FARAD functions through the collection of a variety of data and their application in formulating recommendations to its clients to avoid or mitigate residues. This process can involve the use of simple mathematical extrapolation or novel complicated algorithms where no readily applicable data exists to predict chemical depletion. FARAD's immediate clients are practicing veterinarians, regulators and extension officers, but it ultimately protects the food consuming public. FARAD personnel search the scientific literature for information about the elimination of chemicals from food producing animals, extract this information when it is relevant, and enter it into a computer data bank for easy retrieval. Because there are many factors which can affect how fast an animal eliminates a residue; information about diet, age, sex, breed, and disease are all taken into consideration. The data bank allows existing information to be rapidly brought to bear on accidental residue problems arising from exposure to environmental contaminants or to advise veterinarians on avoiding potential residues from extra-label drug therapy. The elemental goal of FARAD is the production of safe foods of animal origin through the prevention and mitigation of violative chemical (drug, pesticide, natural toxins, and environmental contaminant) residues in food animal products. It accomplishes this through its objectives which are to identify, extract, assemble, evaluate and distribute reviewed information about residue avoidance and mitigation to people involved in residue avoidance programs throughout the United States. The types of information available through FARAD include basic veterinary drug registration information, withdrawal times, indications for use, as well as complex technical information about the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of drugs and chemicals in food animals. With implementation of cooperating international residue programs through Global FARAD [gFARAD], those data are also available for evaluation and dissemination. FARAD was authorized by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA).
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD), which has existed since 1982 and is funded by USDA/CSREES, is a collaborative project among colleges of veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University [NCSU], the University of California at Davis [UCD] and the University of Florida [UFL]. The overarching goal of FARAD is to protect the integrity of and maintain production of safe foods of animal origin through the prevention and mitigation of violative chemical residues in food animal products. While the users of FARAD are veterinarians, regulatory agencies, and extension specialists, the ultimate client is the general public who can consume foods of animal origin that are free of harmful drug and chemical residues. FARAD originated with the Residue Avoidance Program (RAP) in 1982 as a repository of residue avoidance information and educational materials. FARAD has now evolved into an expert-mediated residue avoidance decision support system, which provides timely advice and information on a wide range of drug and chemical entities. This ability has proved vital to the execution of the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994 (AMDUCA) regulations that legalized the extralabel use of drugs by veterinarians. AMDUCA regulations require that extralabel use of drugs in food animals be based on sound principles of residue avoidance. The National Research Council acknowledged FARAD as the primary source of this information.
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APPROACH: The University of Florida component has continued data collection and entry for the US Approved Animal Drugs Database [US-AADD]. A shift by the Food and Drug Administration to limit data release in the Federal Register has resulted in the incorporating of more information in the Freedom of Information (FOI) summary of the approval packet. While this provides more information for incorporation into US-AADD it is at the expense of involving more labor intensive extraction. The major change in the database structure with integration of tolerance data through use of Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) numbers has been completed. This was a major change in the database as it allowed cross referencing active ingredients without regard to NADA. A subset of CAS numbers was used to allow the EWE algorithm automatic access to tolerance data while maintaining the ability to link gFARAD databases independent of languages. A new species coding is now under development to make possible easier integration of the various gFARAD databases and simplify handling FDA approved drug data. VetGRAM has been mounted on the FARAD server at NCSU for nearly 3 years without problems. During that time it has proven robust and attracted positive comments. Its format has been so well received that PDF versions have been utilized in the CD subscription series FARAD on CD. The exchange of updates from UFL to NCSU has been streamlined and is a transparent procedure. Similarly the NRSP-7 website database of drugs approved for minor species (MUMSRx) has been maintained over the past year. UFL continues to distribute the FARAD e-newsletter.