The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) have established a task force to create recommendations for regulating the use of gene editing to improve food safety and security.
“The potential for gene editing to dramatically boost food security globally and reduce the burden on natural resources is enormous, but it must be done carefully and ethically,” APLU President Peter McPherson said in a statement.
“We are very pleased to partner with AAVMC on this task force, which is bringing together some of the foremost leaders in the world to help recommend a path for government to take to regulate this field in a way that protects all involved while allowing the science to flourish.”
The two organizations collaborated on a September 2019 symposium on the future of gene editing in livestock. At the symposium, experts concluded that while novel gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR, could help limit plant and animal diseases and improve productivity, further research on regulatory, safety and ethical implications is needed.
Policy and regulatory recommendations
Dr. Noelle Cockett, President of Utah State University and a renowned geneticist, will serve as chair of the task force.
“This is a very promising area of biotechnology that has the potential to unleash enormous progress in terms of food production and security,” said Cockett.
“Last fall’s symposium featured a series of presentations and discussions, which identified and explored important questions and implications related to this emerging technology. These need to be thoughtfully considered and transformed into policy and regulatory recommendations. That’s the goal of this task force.”
The 11-person panel is made up of scientists and industry leaders from academia, government, industry and professional groups, including Jon Oatley, Washington State University; Dr. Bhanu Telugu, University of Maryland; Dr. Londa Nwadike, University of Missouri; Dr. Jonathan Beever, University of Tennessee; Dr. Rex Dunham, Auburn University; Dr. James Murray, University of California, Davis; Dr. Andrew Rowan, Wellbeing International; Dr. Kathy Simmons, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; Clint Nesbitt, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO); and an as yet unnamed liaison to the Center for Food Integrity.
In 2014, AAVMC and APLU created a task force on the use of antibiotics in production agriculture, resulting in the establishment of the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education, based at Iowa State University.
Like what you just read? Sign up now for free to receive the Poultry Future Newsletter.
