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Biography |
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Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the field of Animal Genomics and Biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at University of California, Davis in the United States, a position she has held since 2002. She received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science dgree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and both an MS in Animal Science, and a PhD in Genetics from UC Davis. The mission of her extension program is “to provide research and education on the use of animal genomics and biotechnology in livestock production systems”. As an animal geneticist, her applied research program focuses on using various breeding tools to enable genetic improvement in animals, with an emphasis on beef cattle. Her outreach program focuses on the development of science-based educational materials including the controversial biotechnologies of genetic engineering (GE) and cloning, and she has created several videos for YouTube including a 30 minute documentary piece entitled “Animal Biotechnology”. She has given over 400 invited presentations to audiences globally, and has appeared on national media including the Dr. Oz Show, Animal Planet, and the December 2014 Intelligence Squared Debate on genetically modifying food. She has served on several national committees including the USDA National Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture, (2005-2009), and was a temporary voting member of the 2010 FDA Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee meeting on the AquAdvantage salmon, the first GE animal to be evaluated for entry into the food supply. She was the lead author on the Council for Agriculture Science and Technology (CAST) Issue Paper 54, “The Potential Impacts of Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Engineered Food in the United States”. Dr. Van Eenennaam was the recipient of the 2010 “National Award for Excellence in Extension” from the American Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities; the 2014 American Society of Animal Science National Extension Award; and the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award.
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Abstract |
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The Role of Animal Biotechnology in the 21st Century |
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The ‘Livestock Revolution’, with obvious reference to the Green Revolution, describes the dramatic increase in demand for food of animal origin in developing countries resulting from the combination of population growth, rising per capita incomes, and progressive urbanization. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that there will be a 73 percent increase in meat and egg consumption and a 58 percent increase in dairy consumption over 2011 levels worldwide by the year 2050. Animal system productivity within developing regions is generally diminished owing to a combination of factors including inadequate animal nutrition (as a consequence of feed quality, quantity and lack of nutritionally-balanced diets), lack of access to genetic selection techniques, and increased incidence of livestock disease. Ideally technologies that address these limitations will be used to meet at least some of the projected demand for animal protein, rather than increasing the total number of animals. It is likely that biotechnology will play an increasingly important role in tackling improvements in animal system productivity. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity: “Biotechnology is any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” There are three main areas where biotechnology can influence animal production and food safety – and that is through genetics, nutrition and animal health. Developing economies face an overwhelming number of human, zoonotic and livestock diseases, creating a major impediment to both economic development and food safety. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) estimates that worldwide an average of more than 20% of animal protein is lost as a result of disease; therefore, significant potential exists to reduce the environmental impact of animal protein production through improving the health of global livestock populations. Many biotechnologies are being employed to address animal disease. Some such as vaccines, molecular diagnostics, and sterile insect technique are widely used to control disease. Other genetic approaches using so-called “modern” biotechnologies, such as genetic engineering or transgenesis remain controversial and have had little impact to date. The advantage of breeding animals that are less susceptible to disease is that genetic gains are both permanent and cumulative meaning that gains made in one year will be transmitted to subsequent generations without further endeavour or expenditure. Genetic improvement has been an important component of the tremendous advances in agricultural productivity that have occurred over the past 50 years. Animal breeders globally are employing a variety of biotechnologies to select or develop lines of animals that are less susceptible to disease. Projects include efforts to address zoonotic diseases like Trypanosomiasis (Nagana) and Avian Influenza, and economically devastating diseases like African Swine Fever (AFS), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). It is likely that a combination of conventional selection techniques and modern biotechnologies that allow breeders to access unique genetic variation to protect animals from disease will synergistically accelerate genetic progress in ways that neither approach would be able to achieve independently. An unanswered question is whether the regulatory burden uniquely associated with the use modern biotechnologies will effectively preclude their use in national livestock development programmes. Even-handed, technology-agnostic evaluations of both the risks and benefits associated with agricultural technologies are essential to ensure that the biotechnologies best suited to addressing problems can be employed to help meet the burgeoning demand for animal-source protein predicted for the 21st century.
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