Today, February 13, 2025, the 8th International Livestock Biotechnology Symposium initiated by the DA-Livestock Biotechnology Center in partnership with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA Inc.) was held with over 700 participants worldwide joining the online event.
“This year’s theme, ‘Demand-driven BIOTECH Innovations Gearing Towards a Resilient and Sustainable Livestock Industry,’ truly encapsulates the essence of what our community stands for. It is about coming together to create a livestock industry that is both resilient and sustainable. It reflects our collective goal to harness pinoy-biotech advancements to genuinely improve our practices and make a tangible difference”, said DA-BPO Program Director Dr. Paul Limson in his opening message.
The virtual symposium featured a lineup of International Scientists as speakers, starting with Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, Cooperative Extension Specialist in Animal Biotechnology and Genomics at UC Davis in the USA, who discussed Emerging Biotech Solutions for Livestock Production. She underscored the necessity for a shared, risk-based regulatory framework among countries involved in animal product trade.
“I think there needs to be a better risk-benefit analysis because everything has risks, but not doing something has risks, too, especially if the risk is not solving a problem that would otherwise be solved by a safe innovation. At the end of the day, we’re trying to provide farmers with the choice of the best selection tools to best meet the challenges of their future more sustainably,” Dr. Eenennaam asserted in her talk about the Global Regulatory Landscape for Animal Biotech Products.
The following speaker was Dr. Mark Tizard, Principal Research Scientist & Team Leader at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, presented on Emerging Biotech Solutions for Poultry Production, emphasizing the impacts of Animal Biotechnology in the Poultry sector.
The final speaker was a young Filipino Scientist, and a University Researcher II at the Philippine Genome Center- Program for Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries and Forestry (PGC Agriculture) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Dr. Julianne Vilela provided insights into the Status and Regulations surrounding Animal Biotechnology in the Philippines.
An open forum and awarding of the Certificates of Appreciation to the speakers marked the end of the webinar.
International and Regional Livestock Biotechnology Symposia were conducted annually to strengthen and support the DA-Biotech Program’s initiatives in the Philippines.
By: Carrie Praise P. Viluan