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The elemental goal of FARAD is the production of safe foods of animal origin through the prevention and mitigation of violative chemical and drug residues in food animal products. The objectives of FARAD 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.
Non-Technical Summary:<br/>
Regulations require that extralabel use of drugs in food animals be based on sound principles of residue avoidance. The purpose of FARAD is to provide an expert mediated residue avoidance decision support system which is able to provide timely advice and information on a wide range of drug and chemical entities in food animals to veterinarians, regulatory agencies, extension specialists, livestock producers and scientists. This will ultimately result in a food supply that is free of harmful drug and chemical residues.
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Approach:<br/>
Utilizing extracted pharmacokinetic parameters from published pharmacokinetic data, data from research trials, and newly developed mathematical algorithms, FARAD scientists will provide veterinarians, livestock producers, extension specialists and scientists with information to prevent drug, pesticide, and environmental contaminant residues in food animal products.
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Progress:<br/>
2009/09 TO 2011/08<br/>
OUTPUTS: FARAD at the University of California Davis maintains the pharmacokinetic and bibliographic databases and numerous bibliographic citations and pharmacokinetic records have been added to these databases during this award period. The FARAD Documentation Specialist maintains a continuous updating process and currently has hundreds of original references on the library retrieval list that await evaluation for relevant data and data extraction. This data extraction is crucial for the application of some of the newer residue avoidance algorithms. Additionally, UCD maintains the web-based access to the kinetic and bibliographic citation files for the global FARAD (gFARAD) partners. Over this time period we have worked to improve data entry into the kinetic databases and the bibliographic citation database. In addition, web-based interfaces have been created for logging and recording questions submitted to FARAD (FarmCalls). The web-based interface (FARMWEB) for direct, on-line submission of remains fully functional and continues to be maintained by UC Davis. All of the databases and software have been maintained on the new server and are being updated. New pharmacokinetic records have been added and we are continuing to reduce the 1500 articles in the files containing residue information that await data extraction. The UC Davis FARAD Director will continue to collaborate with North Carolina State University, the University of Florida personnel on pharmacokinetic research for food animal applications as the FARAD pharmacokinetic database contains a vast resource of data that can be used to develop and validate such models. FARAD telephone, email and now web-based inquiries are answered on a weekly, rotating basis between UC Davis and North Carolina State University.
<br/>PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project.
<br/>TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project.
<br/>PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
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IMPACT: FARAD 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 either drugs used in veterinary practice, agricultural chemicals or outright environmental contaminants. FARAD provides this guidance through use of its databank by specially trained professional staff to provide information on prevention and mitigation of violative chemical residues and supplies recommended withdrawal intervals to allow safe extralabel use of drugs in food animals based on sound principles of residue avoidance.