FARAD: Current updates and future directions

The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) is a university-based program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Institute of Food and Agricul­ture (NIFA) that maintains and provides an array of resources for veterinarians, extension specialists, farmers, regulatory personnel and others who are the stewards of our nation’s ex­pansive commercial food animal industries and the growing number of small backyard livestock operations. Since 1982, this program has provided real time support service to veterinar­ians and related stakeholders. FARAD is supported and staffed by highly-trained veterinary pharmacologists, toxicologists, pharmacists and food animal specialists at five colleges of veterinary medicine: North Carolina State University, Kansas State University, University of California-Davis, University of Florida, and Virginia Tech. Together, the FARAD team identi­fies, analyzes and generates residue avoidance information to determine scientifically-based drug or chemical withdrawal ad­vice in situations involving legal extra-label drug use, and acci­dental contaminations in both major and minor food-producing animal species.