At this year’s World Pork Expo, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Intern Maci Carter had a chance to visit with Andrew Bailey, the Science & Technology, Legal Counsel for the National Pork Producers Council. Bailey and Carter talked CRISPR, African Swine Fever, and Custom and Border Patrol.
“One issue we’ve been working on for several years is the idea of, how do you regulate gene editing of livestock,” Bailey said. “You know, with new gene editing tools, like CRISPR, you can make very precise edits in an animal’s genome that might take, you know, even decades to do through conventional breeding, but there’s just not really a clear regulatory pathway for that technology.”
Bailey said that a regulatory pathway is needed, and NPPC is advocating for the USDA to take hold of the matter. Being the agency with knowledge of the agricultural industry, Baily said the hope is that they can help the promise of this technology play out.
“The three biggest priorities that NPPC has for the Farm Bill is what we’d call the three-legged stool of animal health,” Bailey said. “That’s the National Animal Vaccine Bank, the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program and the National Animal Health Labs.”
With ASF being at the top of mind for many involved in the pork industry, Bailey said that having these three parts in play is vital for the success of the industry. The goal is to have all the pieces come together with the next Farm Bill so that the industry can be prepared to effectively and efficiently handle animal health emergencies as they arise.
“Well, one new thing this year is Customs and Border Protection is actually here,” Bailey said. “These are ag specialists who are, you know, at our ports of entry every day across the U.S., interdicting, you know, meat and plants, fruits, sometimes animals, insects that could come in, and not just impact the pork industry, but all of American agriculture.”
Bailey said he was happy to share that the Customs and Border Protection, or the Beagle Brigade, was in attendance at the World Pork Expo. He said he believes they are the first line of defense, and he especially appreciates them in a time of high ASF levels coming across our borders from China and East Asia.
