AVMA: Funding For FARAD Must Be Found To Ensure Food Safety

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 17 Oct 2007 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

In order to help ensure safe food for U.S. consumers, food-animal veterinarians must be able to ensure that meat sent to slaughter is clear of contaminants and drugs. Environmental and livestock feed contaminants-including melamine and other poisons as well as many common veterinary medications-must be given the appropriate amount of time to clear the systems of livestock animals. In 1982, the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database (FARAD) was established to offer veterinarians vital information on how to rid livestock of contaminants and drugs. Unfortunately, FARAD has lost its federal funding. Without permanent, multi-year funding-roughly $2.5 million a year-FARAD is expected to discontinue all activities in 2008.

"It's ironic that, at this time when food safety is of such pressing importance to the general public, Congress is allowing funding for FARAD to expire. The same year when FARAD might have helped mitigate the Chinese melamine crisis, the database was rendered unusable with barely enough funding to maintain essential personnel. FARAD is the only form of support and information that veterinarians can rely upon to control drug and contaminant residues in our food supply," explains Dr. Doug Meckes, assistant director of the American Veterinary Medical Association Governmental Relations Division. "Today, due to lack of funding, veterinarians must search the FARAD database without any guidance or support from FARAD staff, and, in 2008, the system will completely lapse. The impact on food safety could be devastating. For example, veterinarians servicing dairy cows would have no information database to determine how long it would take, after using certain medications, before milk would be safe for human consumption. It's an important issue for food safety, animal welfare and public health, and we desperately need Congress to recognize this as a priority and pass permanent funding for FARAD."

http://www.avma.org

• Additional
• References
• Citations