Due to the rapid growth of the global population, it is estimated that by 2050, the population will increase from the current 7 billion to 9.2 billion. As food is essential to human survival, ensuring a stable and safe food supply has become a critical issue. Seafood, poultry, and livestock products are major sources of protein for humans, and their production safety is closely linked to food safety.

To meet the growing demand for food, producers have adopted large-scale intensive animal farming practices (e.g., poultry), which makes the environment more susceptible to the spread of pathogens. To reduce mortality in livestock, producers often rely heavily on antibiotics or other medications, leading to drug residues in animal products. Misuse or overuse of such medications also contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens, posing serious public health concerns and the risk of disease outbreaks.

Therefore, agricultural biotechnology plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, and thus in food safety. In the past, the misuse of antibiotics in meat production led to stricter regulations on residue testing and even a ban on antibiotics in animal feed. Taiwan is a major producer of agricultural and livestock products and is home to rich plant biodiversity, with 4,800 plant species—2,500 of which are commonly used medicinal plants—making it an important source of phytogenic ingredients.

To promote the development and application of phytogenics, the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center of Academia Sinica, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology's Life Science Research Promotion Center and the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture, is organizing the Agricultural Biotechnology Symposium. The symposium invites experts and scholars from Taiwan and abroad to share their insights on how agricultural biotechnology can be used to develop solutions that enhance crop and animal health, improve gut health, exhibit antimicrobial properties, reduce reliance on pesticides and antibiotics, and ultimately increase food and feed safety while combating antimicrobial resistance. The broader goals are to improve human, animal, and environmental health.

The symposium will also introduce industrial applications of agricultural biotechnology in animal health, aiming to boost Taiwan's agricultural and livestock sectors.

This is a half-day international symposium scheduled to take place on June 12, 2025, at ICC Tainan. Experts from Southeast Asia will be invited to share insights on regional agricultural biotechnology developments and market needs. The event will be conducted primarily in English. Farmers, livestock producers, and biotechnology professionals from Taiwan and abroad are warmly welcome to participate.