He explains that the moment one tries to better an animal or plant by tweaking their genetic makeup, then one is implementing the principles of biotechnology. 

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Cason delves into the applicability of biotechnology in everyday living. He says that people, farmers and the agricultural industry has been using biotechnology unknowingly. He adds something as simple as cross-pollination is a form of biotechnology.

"People have been selecting animals in breeding to get better animals for years now without knowing that they're using biotechnology," explains Cason.

He says that there is very little risk involved when applying biotechnological principles to animals. The only risk is perhaps a lack of education in terms of the consumer.

"Most farmers belong to a breeding society and the breeding societies normally want people to start using these biotechnologies. The biggest reason for this is the more information you have the more accurate and useable these biotechnologies become," informs Cason.

He ends off by saying "using genomics to improve the genetic makeup, is not just for animals, it's for plant crops as well. The only way for South African agriculture to stay relevant and stay on top of things and stay competitive with the rest of the world is if they start incorporating genomic selection more and more."

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