FARAD.org
—the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank

The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD.org) is a national clearinghouse of information designed to provide livestock producers, extension specialists, veterinarians and public health officials with practical information on how to keep harmful drugs and chemicals out of meat, eggs and milk. Since its inception in 1982, FARAD, which provides absorption data on chemicals and drugs administered by vets, has gained worldwide recognition for its role in protecting the safety of the nation's food supply. Although previously only a hotline service, it is now available on the Web.

Operated by pharmacologists and toxicologists at North Carolina State University, University of California, Davis, and the University of Florida, FARAD.org maintains an up-to-date online compilation of:

• Current label information including withdrawal times on all drugs approved for use in food animals in the United States and on hundreds of products used in Canada, Europe and Australia.
• Official tolerances for drugs and pesticides in tissues, eggs and milk.
• Descriptions and sensitivities of rapid screening tests for detecting tissues in tissues, eggs and milk.
• Absorption rates of 450 approved drugs and 2,000 other chemicals.

The reason this service is so important is that wherever drugs are used to treat sick animals or prevent pest infestations or disease, there is a potential that residues may be incurred. As a result the FDA establishes tolerances for drug residues, and “withdrawal times” or “withholding periods” during which milk and eggs are not to be used for food, and during which animals are not to be slaughtered. This allows time to the animals to eliminate the drug residues. FARAD.org provides all this information, and more!