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Dr. Richard Raymond to be Keynote Speaker for 2014 BIO Livestock Biotech Summit

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The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is pleased to announce that Dr. Richard Raymond, former undersecretary of agriculture for food safety at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will deliver a keynote address at the 2014 BIO Livestock Biotech Summit.</p>
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Washington, D.C. (August 21, 2014) – The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is pleased to announce that Dr. Richard Raymond, former undersecretary of agriculture for food safety at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will deliver a keynote address at the 2014 BIO Livestock Biotech Summit.

“As we all know, the world's population is increasing, but the amount of land available to raise crops and for animals to forage is not increasing, nor is the amount of water for animals to drink. Food security is vital for human health and political stability,” says Dr. Raymond.  “To achieve food security, we must utilize technologies that are safe for animals, humans and the environment, and we must communicate better about these technologies to dispel the many erroneous myths and perceptions that float around the internet and other media.”

This unique conference to be held September 16-18, 2014, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, SD, examines the scientific potential and political challenges of using animal biotechnology to improve human and animal health, food production and the environment.  Previous Summits in 2010 and 2012 have drawn attendees including researchers, regulators, investors, and industry executives from around the globe.

Before serving as the Undersecretary for Food Safety, Dr. Raymond was Chief Medical Officer for the Nebraska Health and Human Services System.  Additionally, he served as director of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Regulation & Licensure division where he oversaw regulatory programs involving health care and environmental issues. Currently, Dr. Raymond is a noted food safety and public health consultant and an editor for two food safety blogs on Meatingplace.com and Feedstuffs Foodlink. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Raymond speak at this year’s Livestock Biotech Summit,” said Cathy Enright, Executive Vice President, Food and Agriculture at BIO.

“As a leader in food safety, Dr. Raymond will share with Summit attendees what tools will be needed to enable U.S. agriculture to produce a safe, high-quality and affordable product, and how education of policymakers needs to go hand-in-hand with our scientific research.”

Visit BIO’s Livestock Biotech Summit website for program updates and news on summit registration, events and speakers. The program will consist of three days of cross cutting discussions among industry, academic and government leaders, covering everything from care and use of agricultural animals in research and production to agricultural animals for both food and biomedical applications.

All Livestock Biotech Summit sessions are open to credentialed media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications. Pre-registration for reporters is now open.