Science Is Key To Increasing Food Production, WSU Scientist Says

Some experts say to feed the world's population by 2050, the farming community will need to boost production by 60%; and that includes livestock production. Washington State University Livestock Scientist, Dr. Jon Oatley said on the animal side it's not only production that's going to count.

"The farm animal of the future will need to be more efficient in converting input such as feed and water into outputs for human consumption, and it will need to do this in increasing harsher environments, while having less impact on the climate."

Oatley added that the science is already available to do all of that in the form of gene editing, which he calls, "the present and the future of innovation in livestock production."

But, while the science is here today, "we need a regulatory landscape that's conducive for making material gains in advancing discoveries from laboratories to the public domain."

Dr. Oatley agreed with other witnesses that U.S. biotech regulatory and approval system might need to be modernized and streamlined.

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