Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology

FASS Shares AVMA’s Concerns Regarding Pew Report on Industrial Farm Animal Production
Posted January 5, 2010

The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) has analyzed the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production’s report Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America as well as the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) response to the report. After a review by FASS’ Scientific Advisory Committees, FASS agrees with AVMA that there are significant flaws in the Pew Report. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Specter, a staff writer with the New Yorker, confronts the widespread fear of science and the negative impact it could have on scientific progress in the areas of  global agriculture, health and nutrition in his new book Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives .

Specter appeared on National Public Radio’s (NPR’s )“On the Media” program promoting Denialism and explaining the importance of agricultural biotechnology in addressing certain global challenges, and the resistance to it among certain groups.

A transcript of the NPR interview is available here.

The Economist published an article in their prestigious “The World in 2010” issue about the clear-cut environmental benefits of agricultural biotechnology.   The author, Matt Ridley, writes that the results of agricultural biotechnology are astonishing and promising, as genetically modified crops need less land and water to achieve the same yield.

This issue of The Economist is dedicated to looking ahead, and if Mr. Ridley is right, agricultural biotechnology will continue to be adopted worldwide as it is crucial to preserving our climate and feeding the world. He writes, “within a decade there may be crops that are no-till, insect-resistant, omega-3-enriched, drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant and nitrogen-efficient. If they boost yields, then the 21^st century will see more and more people better and better fed from less and less land.”

You can read the full article here.

Terry D. Etherton

As readers of my blog have observed, I have not posted a blog for a few months.  About all that could be written about the battle over application of rbST in the dairy industry in the United States, and defending the freedom of dairy farmers to use safe and effective technologies has been discussed.  The stories currently being written by opponents of this biotechnology are simply a rehash of a rehash…nothing new.  This all has been chronicled in Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology. Read the rest of this entry »

Washington, D.C. – An International Food Information Council (IFIC) report released Thursday, October 23 concludes that 84% of Americans have favorable or neutral impressions of agricultural plant biotechnology, while less than 16% hold an unfavorable impression. Read the rest of this entry »

Administration Proposes Much-Anticipated Guidance on How to Regulate GE Animals

Washington, D.C. (September 18, 2008) – The multiple benefits of animal biotechnologies are closer to being realized thanks to efforts today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The FDA announced today the long-awaited draft guidance describing a regulatory framework for governing genetically engineered (GE) animals. In addition, USDA is seeking comment on their coordinated role in the regulatory process. Read the rest of this entry »

Terry D. Etherton

Because of my commitment to defend science, scientists, and technological innovation in agriculture, I encounter folks and groups on the “other side” who use all sorts of interesting — even bizarre, and dysfunctional — tactics to scare consumers about science, food safety, and the need for technological innovation in agriculture. Read the rest of this entry »

Terry D. Etherton

The New York Times published an interesting article “A Conversation with Nina Fedoroff – An Advocate for Science Diplomacy” on August 19, 2008. Dr. Fedoroff, formerly at Penn State, is Science Adviser to the Secretary of State and Administrator of the Agency for International Development.

Dr. Fedoroff discusses the reality that science and technology are the drivers of the most successful economies in the 21st century. She also addresses the importance of technological innovation for feeding a growing world, and that organic farming can’t support the earth’s current population.

The article is an interesting read that clearly presents why we need to continue investing in science to develop new technologies to feed a growing world.

Enjoy the article!

Terry D. Etherton

Genetically engineered (GE) animals provide innovative technologies that can transform public health through biomedical, food and environmental applications, according to a scientific report released by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

The report, Genetically Engineered Animals and Public Health – Compelling Benefits for Health Care, Nutrition, the Environment and Animal Welfare, discusses how GE animals will enhance human health, food production, environmental protection, animal health and cutting-edge industrial applications. The report was authored by Scott Gottlieb, MD, of the American Enterprise Institute, and Matthew B. Wheeler, PhD, of the Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gottlieb and Dr. Wheeler are experts in the field of genetic engineering of animals. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven King
Irish Examiner.com
Published July 23, 2008

IN Gulliver’s Travels, the King of Bobdingnag — the land of the giants — claimed that whoever could make two ears of corn grow where only one grew before was a greater patriot than all the politicians put together.

It’s sad to note then that nearly 300 years on from the publication of Swift’s satire, the politicians are still standing in the way of an agricultural technology that has the potential to do just that. Read the rest of this entry »