You've read about FARAD and its important role in food safety, now you can learn more about it in our latest Chew on This podcast.

Veterinarians rely on a variety of food safety tools, and FARAD helps make sure our meat, eggs and dairy products are free of drug, environmental and pesticide contaminants. In this new podcast, we discuss the crucial role of the Food Anima l Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) in the food safety with Dr. Jim Riviere, Professor of the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina University and Co-Director of the FARAD program.

Listen to the podcast now.

Good news! Thanks in part to the hard work and advocacy of our readers, Congress has provided funding for Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) and the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA) -- two important programs for keeping our food safe -- in the omnibus spending bill President Obama signed last month.

As we've told you before, FARAD provides information about how to avoid residues of medications and contaminants in food animals, and NVMSA will provide loan repayment for veterinarians who work in underserved areas -- like with the food supply. Both programs are crucial to sustaining and improving the safety of our food supply.

The inclusion of the funding in the spending bill is a victory for both programs. The battle for ongoing funding will eventually begin again, but for now, we can take a breather and focus on other food safety challenges.

Here's what JAVMA News says about the funding of these programs:

"Congress included $2.95 million for NVMSA... In exchange for a commitment to work in underserved areas of veterinary medicine, recipients are granted student loan repayment. The bill was signed into law in 2003, but its implementation has been delayed by the Agriculture Department, which is still in the process of promulgating regulations for the program...

FARAD, a program until recently on the brink of extinction because of insufficient funding, received a desperately needed $806,000 appropriation. A number of organizations including the AVMA had donated more than $16,000 to keep the program running in the short term, but a major cash infusion was needed.

"I am very relieved because we were basically going to have to shut FARAD forever by the end of summer," said Dr. Alistair Webb, one of the program's three directors and a professor at the University of Florida-Gainesville.

The money will keep FARAD going for another year without additional layoffs, Dr. Webb explained."

Dear President-Elect Obama,

We’ve been saving this letter until we got closer to the inauguration because, with the selection of cabinet members and press conferences, we know you’ve been very busy lately and we didn’t want this note to get lost in the shuffle. Now that we’re less than a month from your first, history-making day as president, let’s get started. First off, we’d like to again say congratulations—the nation really believes in you. Good luck on your first hundred days in the White House.

Now let’s get to the meat of the matter, because, as you already seem to know, you’ve got a lot of work to do. We at KeepOurFoodSafe.org and our readers would like to let you know that you’ve got a big problem you have to solve, and in a word, it’s food.

Over the past several years, we’ve seen a growing number of farm animal welfare challenges and food safety crises. Within the past year alone, we experienced the largest U.S. recall of beef products in American history. Not since the 1960s have Americans been as concerned about their food as they are today. After two Chinese melamine crises in the past two years—first in pet food and then in milk powder and eggs—consumers are deeply worried about imported food stuffs and how they are inspected. While many organizations have been calling for years for a reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies to create a single, centralized food inspection authority, it now falls on your shoulders to make that happen. And it must happen if you’re to be successful in keeping our nation’s food supply safe.

We’d also ask you to take actions to solve the growing shortage of food supply and public health veterinarians. No other profession plays a more crucial role in food safety than veterinarians, and we seem to be running out of them. Currently, dozens of rural, agricultural counties are without a single large-animal veterinarian to treat their livestock and chickens. A recent study forecasts that this shortage will only get worse; the demand for farm veterinarians is projected to increase by 12 to 13 percent annually while the availability of those veterinarians will likely decrease by 4 to 5 percent every year.

There are several proposed federal programs that would address this growing shortage of veterinarians, including two competitive grant programs—the School of Veterinary Medicine Grant Program and the Agricultural Biosecurity Grant Program—that would fund expansions at veterinary colleges to increase their output of public health veterinarians and another—the National Veterinary Medical Service Act(NVMSA)—that would repay the college loans of young veterinarians who choose to work in underserved geographic and professional areas of veterinary medicine. These programs have been authorized by Congress, but need to be funded adequately VPHWEA still awaits the approval of Congress. These programs need to become a reality if we stand a chance of turning the tide.

To make the situation even worse, veterinarians will soon have fewer tools to keep our food supply safe unless you take action. The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) is expected to close this year due to lack of funding. FARAD offers veterinarians information about the amount of time that drugs, toxins and other contaminants require to be metabolized by farm animals before the animal or animal product like milk is safe for Americans to consume. Obviously, if FARAD closes down, veterinarians will lose a resource that helps them keep Americans safe from contaminated meats. It’s not an expensive program ($2.5 million a year); funding must be found to save FARAD.

There is, of course, more that needs to be done to bolster America’s food safety systems and ensure the quality and safety of our food supplies going forward. We’ll keep you posted on those challenges as they arise. But we are confident that, with your help and support, the solutions we’ve listed in this letter will help us begin to address this critical issue. We at KeepYourFoodSafe.org wish you well. The country needs your leadership.

Sincerely,

KeepOurFoodSafe.org

It’s a sad, sad day for food safety in America. Despite our best efforts to convince Congress, USDA and FDA to come up with long-term funding for FARAD, the critical food safety resource is permanently shutting down. The result: information essential to protecting America’s food supply is being left in the lurch.

FARAD – The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank – began shutting down yesterday. For 26 years, FARAD has been used by veterinarians, livestock producers, and state and federal regulatory and extension specialists to ensure that drug, environmental and pesticide contaminants do not end up in meat, milk, and eggs. This shouldn’t come as news to our regular readers. We’ve been telling you about the importance of FARAD for months.

The program needed an immediate cash infusion to stay open, and, ultimately, long-term funding of $2.5 million per year to continue its critical work. Really, that’s all it needed… less than a penny per American to help make sure that drugs and pesticides don’t end up in our food. A penny per American, folks. That’s it.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has been leading efforts to secure funding for FARAD, which is administered by the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and operates out of North Carolina State University, the University of Florida and the University of California-Davis. The AVMA worked with Congress to have language authorizing FARAD at $2.5 million inserted in this year’s Farm Bill. Unfortunately, the USDA never incorporated the funding in its budget, and Congress has provided neither emergency funding, nor passed the agriculture appropriations bill that could have funded the program. Oh and, FDA hasn’t coughed up any pennies either.

It’s tragic that a program that costs so little yet does so much to keep our food supply safe is not being funded. Again, we’re talking about pennies, folks.

The last-ditch hope of keeping FARAD from completely closing is for the USDA or stakeholders to fund the program. The AVMA is planning an emergency stakeholder meeting to discuss the future of FARAD.

In the interim, we urge all Americans to call the USDA at 1-202-720-1542 and tell them to immediately provide $2.5 million in emergency funding for FARAD.

Here we go again. The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) will shut down at the end of the month if Congress does not approve funding for the program. After 26 years of helping keep our food supply safe, the program will be allowed to die.

FARAD is the primary source of scientifically based recommendations for withdrawal intervals after extra-label drug use. It is also the primary source of residue mitigation information when food animals are exposed to environmental contaminants. FARAD has been in existence since 1982 and is overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (USDA CSREES).

Since 2000, FARAD has received funding through congressional earmarks, but in 2007 and 2008, FARAD did not receive any funding from Congress. At the last minute, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine stepped in and provided funding that will keep FARAD open until the end of September 2008.

AVMA is working with Members of Congress, the executive branch and stakeholders to find a long-term solution to FARAD's funding difficulties. Right now, there's $800,000 in the Senate Appropriations Bill for FY09 and $400,000 in the House's version. But that's not enough-and, given the political atmosphere, it is doubtful that Congress will pass any appropriations bills this year.

Call us semi-pleased with the action thus far – because these amounts fall far short of the $2.5M/year needed to keep FARAD functioning. In the short-term, we are workin g on getting funding into the Domestic Supplemental Spending Bill, which may be considered in September. This may help bridge the gap until FY09 monies become available next spring.

At the same time, the GRD staff will continue to work with members of both the House and the Senate, USDA and FDA to ensure that an appropriate amount of funding is committed to the FARAD program in order to make it viable on a long-term basis.

How can you help? Every voice counts! Your congressional representatives need to hear from you. Every phone call, letter or email they receive about FARAD helps inch this vital program toward survival. Please click here to learn more about FARAD and click here to Take Action immediately.

We are just finishing up our second week of Congress’ August recess. The quiet time is nice -- it gives us time to catch-up before Congress comes back in September.

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to visit Congressional offices with Dr. Jim Riviere to talk about funding for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD). Dr. Riviere is a professor at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine where he also oversees the FARAD program. He would have to make the very difficult decision to shut FARAD down if it does not receive additional funding.

Our meetings went o.k. -- the staffers understood the importance of FARAD to keeping our food safe. We also met with Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota. Senator Johnson suffered a stroke last year, but he looks and feels great. He is back working in the Senate and running for reelection in South Dakota. The Senator was very interested in FARAD, especially because he represents a cattle-producing state. We look forward to working with his office to get FARAD funded.

We are running short on time -- FARAD will run out of money at the end of September. We are hopeful to receive funding in the Supplemental that Congress will pass in September -- however, given the political climate, we are not certain that this bill will be passed.

Please contact your Members of Congress and ask them to support FARAD funding in the Supplemental, and in the FY09 Agriculture Appropriations bill. FARAD’s existence literally depends on getting this funding.

On another note, we are going into the last few weeks of summer, and I am sure that most of you will have cook-outs with friends and family. Be sure to properly cook your meat and use a thermometer to make sure it is cooked to the correct temperature, and refrigerate and store your leftovers properly. The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service has information on their website about safe food handling.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. We will update you about FARAD funding after Congress returns in September.

It looks like recent food safety scares -- notably recent concern about salmonella in certain types of produce -- has caused a lot of Americans to change their food-buying habits.

The Associated Press reports that a new AP-Ipsos poll found “nearly half of Americans are concerned they may get sick from eating contaminated food and are avoiding items they normally would buy.” That’s a pretty significant number. The poll also found that 75% of Americans feel confident in the overall safety of the food they eat, but that 86% want produce labeled so each step -- from the farm to the salad bowl -- can be traced. Eighty percent support stricter federal standards for produce.

More from the article: “Forty-six percent said they were worried they might get sick from eating contaminated food and that they have avoided foods because of safety warnings that they normally would have purchased. Twenty-nine percent have thrown out food earlier than usual and 14 percent have returned food to the store.”

We can’t help but agree with the need for strong systems and programs to help keep our food safe. This is why we’ve been championing the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) for so long. FARAD doesn’t deal specifically with produce. It focuses on the meat, eggs and dairy products we eat. However, the need for rapid-response programs that offer contaminant information applies across the spectrum of food we consume daily. And for food coming from animals, FARAD does this.

FARAD is an established system -- up and running (for now) -- that provides those who treat and monitor food animals with vital info for keeping our food supply safe. We’ve told you, repeatedly, how important it is to food safety. You helped us get FARAD language in the Farm Bill and helped us get the Farm Bill passed. We celebrated a little bit.

But now, we’re learning that Congress has not fully funded FARAD, and the program is in danger of completely shutting down. Yeah, that’s right! Congress gave Americans their word in the Farm Bill that FARAD should be funded at $2.5M, but now, when it’s time to find the actual money, they’re backing down. They’re turning their back on food safety by not providing the funding that they approved in the Farm Bill. FARAD, the type of food safety system that Americans not only need but clearly (based on the AP poll) want, will probably soon shut down if Congress doesn’t cough up the $2.5 million a year it needs to operate. And then, what are Americans supposed to do? Cross their fingers and hope for the best?

Take action today to save FARAD and tell Congress to fully fund this program before it’s too late.

JAVMA News has posted a pretty comprehensive overview of the gains made through the recently passed Farm Bill. Take a look at the article for a run-down of the food safety issues addressed in the bill, including funding authorization for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD).

The The article features an interview with Dr. Alistair Webb, a FARAD administrator at the University of Florida. In the interview, Dr. Webb reminds us all that the program has yet to have the authorized monies budgeted for the program and that, right now, “The present is very bleak."

Remember, even though FARAD has been authorized for funding, it has yet to actually receive the money it needs to operate. We’ll continue to update you on our battle to get full funding for this program crucial to keeping our meat, eggs and dairy products safe to eat. But your support, by way of a phone call or letter to your congressional representatives, would help. Let them know that you’re still concerned that FARAD won’t be funded and that your health and that of your family will be put in jeopardy.

From the article:

Highlights from the farm bill include authorization for a $2.5 million annual appropriation for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank from 2008 through 2012. FARAD is a chronically underfunded resource used by veterinarians, livestock producers, and state and federal regulatory and extension specialists to ensure that drug, environmental, and pesticide contaminants do not end up in meat, milk, and eggs.

The database is administered through the Agriculture Department's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and operates out of North Carolina State University, the University of Florida-Gainesville, and the University of California-Davis.

FARAD has been operating since September 2007 on emergency funds set to expire within the year. What's more, there's no guarantee the money in the farm bill will be appropriated. The AVMA-GRD staff is working with the House and Senate appropriations committees to secure the appropriation. But even if they're successful, the money won't arrive until 2010, which, according to Dr. Alistair Webb, a FARAD administrator at UF-Gainesville, is too late.

"We're eking this out, but come sometime in the new year, we're going to run out of money before any appropriation based on the farm bill in next year's budget. In other words, there is no funding for FARAD in the 2009 budget," Dr. Webb said, adding that layoffs of specially trained staff are all but certain. This compromises institutional ability, which later takes time to rebuild.

"We're happy for the future, but the present is very bleak," Dr. Webb said.

Good news, food safety advocates! The US House of Representatives (yesterday) and, now, the US Senate (today) have passed the Farm Bill by veto-proof margins. Those of you following this site and championing food safety know that this means that critical programs such as the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) have made it through – with authorization for funding. The battle is not over yet… we still have to get the appropriators to actually fund the programs. But authorization for the funding is a huge first step, and we couldn’t have done it without your help.

From MarketWatch:

“On the heels of a strong vote for passage in the House, senators on Thursday approved a $289 billion, five-year farm bill that is under a presidential veto threat. Senators voted 81-to-15, easily attaining the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. On Wednesday, House lawmakers voted 318-to-106 to pass the bill, also securing the two-thirds majority needed for an override.”

From NY Times:

“The House overwhelmingly approved a $300 billion farm bill on Wednesday afternoon, making it probable that the measure will become law despite President Bush’s anticipated veto. The 318-to-106 vote, far over the two-thirds needed to override a veto…”

From a press release the AVMA sent out yesterday:

“The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) declared a preliminary victory on several key provisions included in the Farm Bill, applauding Congress and pledging to continue working toward the implementation of unresolved initiatives.

Reaching final negotiation in a joint U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conference committee, the Farm Bill includes legislation on human and animal health that ranges from food safety protection and bioterrorism prevention to the importation of healthy puppies…

Lutschaunig cited the Senate Agriculture Committee for authorizing $2.5 million annually for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD), a vital resource used to ensure contaminants do not end up in meat, milk and eggs.

The AVMA also commended Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, for drafting language for the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA), and Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., for helping insert the Regional Centers of Excellence provision, which includes veterinary medicine. Both provisions made it to the final version of the Farm Bill.”

Congress has passed another one-week extension on the Farm Bill, and negotiations continue. Members of the House and Senate are hopeful that a deal can be reached by May 2. There’s still time to contact your senators and representative and tell them to keep our food safe. 

Authorization for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank, a critical first step in establishing long-term funding for this important program, is included in the Farm Bill. This crucial resource is utilized by veterinarians to ensure the food derived from animals is safe to eat, and this is one more reason why you need to take action today to ask Congress to keep this provision in the Farm Bill.

According to DVM News, the Farm Bill includes: the authorization of “$2.5 million per year through 2012 for the financially strapped Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database (FARAD). The program was established in 1982 to provide veterinarians information on how to rid livestock of drugs and contaminants.”

Another critical issue affecting food safety – a provision to increase the number of veterinarians who inspect and treat the cows, pigs, chickens, turkey, fish and other food animals we eat – is also at risk of being cut from the bill. The Veterinary Workforce Grant Program would establish a competitive grant program to increase the number of veterinarians trained in agricultural biosecurity. This essential funding would be used by our nation's veterinary schools to increase capacity by building more classrooms and labs. Tell Congress to also keep this essential program in the Farm Bill.

The “Farm Bill” is an omnibus, multiyear authorizing law that contains major farm and nutrition programs. The most recent omnibus farm bill, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-171), expired in September 2007. While the heart of every omnibus farm bill is farm income and commodity price support, the farm bill typically encompasses a wide variety of issues and programs including agriculture trade and foreign food aid, conservation and environment, forestry, domestic food assistance (primarily food stamps), agricultural credit, rural development, agricultural research and education programs. In addition, the farm bill often contains farm marketing, energy, food safety, and animal health and welfare provisions.

Take action today on FARAD and the Veterinary Workforce Grant Program to keep our food safe.