Biosecurity Context Research Articles

Review of livestock biosecurity resources and trainings: Local, state, federal, and international organizations

PurposeThis study evaluates the accessibility and availability of publicly accessible biosecurity resources in the Fall of 2021, as part of the IN-PREPared and Gearing Up for Safety program. The research into the quantity of material underscores the importance of these resources for disease threat awareness and highlights the need for improved biosecurity resource development for small-scale farming communities and overall biosecurity resources which impact global agricultural operations and food security. Design/methodology/approachThis review consisted of resources on agricultural biosecurity literature, websites, and training materials, involving over 125 agencies and organizations. This analysis provides insights into the distribution of resources across different regions and their availability based on farm scale and production type. FindingsOur research reveals both a geographic distribution trend of material that favors Midwestern states and significant disparities in available materials. Additionally, there are more resources that have content that focus on “general biosecurity’ and are focused on larger operations than that of small-farm biosecurity operations. International resources generally focus on overall importance of biosecurity and aspects of One Health. Practical ImplicationsThis review underscores the crucial role of biosecurity resources in enhancing disease threat awareness and safeguarding the food supply and global impact of international trade within agriculture. This emphasizes the need to address resource deficiencies for small-scale farms, particularly regarding specific livestock concentrations. Theoretical ImplicationsThe study confirms with previous research on limited resources, emphasizing the need for a more equitable approach to disseminating biosecurity information, especially for small-scale farming. Implications highlight the importance of resources, training, and informed decision-making for all farming communities, highlighting the significance of risk-based agricultural materials. Originality/ValueThe research adds value by shedding light on the unequal distribution of biosecurity resources, especially concerning small-scale farming operations. While the study primarily focuses on livestock and animal health, it acknowledges the importance of crop biosecurity, thus contributing to a broader understanding of agricultural protection. The significance of collaboration and information sharing in the global context of biosecurity extends beyond national borders and requires a coordinated effort.

Biosecurity and Hygiene Procedures in Pig Farms: Effects of a Tailor-Made Approach as Monitored by Environmental Samples.

In livestock, the importance of hygiene management is gaining importance within the context of biosecurity. The aim of this study was to monitor the implementation of biosecurity and hygiene procedures in 20 swine herds over a 12-month period, as driven by tailor-made plans, including training on-farm. The measure of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) environmental contents was used as an output biomarker. The presence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) was also investigated as sentinels of antibiotic resistance. A significant biosecurity improvement (p = 0.006) and a reduction in the ATP content in the sanitised environment (p = 0.039) were observed. A cluster including 6/20 farms greatly improved both biosecurity and ATP contents, while the remaining 14/20 farms ameliorated them only slightly. Even if the ESBL-E. coli prevalence (30.0%) after the hygiene procedures significantly decreased, the prevalence of LA-MRSA (22.5%) was unaffected. Despite the promising results supporting the adoption of tailor-made biosecurity plans and the measure of environmental ATP as an output biomarker, the high LA-MRSA prevalence still detected at the end of the study underlines the importance of improving even more biosecurity and farm hygiene in a one-health approach aimed to preserve also the pig workers health.

Surveillance for Avocado Sunblotch Viroid Utilizing the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).

Avocado is one of the world's fastest growing tropical fruit industries, and the pathogen avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd) is a major threat to both production and access to international export markets. ASBVd is seed transmissible, with infection possible via either the male (pollen) or female gametes. Surveillance for ASBVd across commercial orchards is a major logistical task, particularly when aiming to meet the stringent standards of evidence required for a declaration of pest freedom. As with many fruit crops, insect pollination is important for high avocado yields, and honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives are typically moved into orchards for paid pollination services. Exploiting the foraging behavior of honey bees can provide a complementary strategy to traditional surveillance methods. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of bee samples for plant viruses shows promise, but this surveillance method has not yet been tested for viroids or in a targeted plant biosecurity context. Here, we tested samples of bees and pollen collected from pollination hives in two ASBVd orchard locations, one in Australia, where only four trees in a block were known to be infected, and a second in South Africa, where the estimated incidence of infection was 10%. Using real-time RT-PCR and HTS (total RNA-seq and small RNA-seq), we demonstrated that ASBVd can be confidently detected in bees and pollen samples from hives within 100 m of infected trees. The potential for using this approach in ASBVd surveillance for improved orchard management and supporting market access is discussed.

Developing Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assays for rapid, presumptive DNA detection of an invasive reptile (Boa constrictor)

Context Wildlife trade is a prominent pathway for invasive species introductions into novel environments. Deliberate or accidental release of exotic pets can result in the establishment of alien populations, with damaging impacts for native species and environmental assets. This process is well documented for reptiles globally and is of considerable biosecurity concern in Australia. Boa constrictor is one species at high risk of establishment in Australia, and has insufficient biosecurity detection and post-border control capacity. Aims We aimed to develop rapid DNA-based presumptive testing capacity for detecting B. constrictor, with appropriate sensitivity and specificity to operate in a trace DNA biosecurity context. Methods Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) is an emerging biosecurity tool that provides highly specific, sensitive, low-resource methods for detection of trace DNA in the absence of physical evidence. We developed colourimetric and fluorescent LAMP assays targeting the mitochondrial DNA control region of B. constrictor. We tested and validated these assays against synthetic DNA fragments, as well as DNA extracted from: (1) vouchered museum B. constrictor tissue; (2) shed B. constrictor skin samples; (3) a range of non-target species to test specificity; and (4) trace DNA recovered from glass tanks post B. constrictor presence. Key results We successfully detected synthetic target DNA down to 1 fg and genomic B. constrictor DNA from tissue and shed skins down to <10 pg in under 30 minutes with our fluorescence-based LAMP assay. Additionally, we were able to detect B. constrictor trace DNA following 24 h of presence utilising a traditional laboratory-based DNA extraction method (approximately 180 min) and a rapid lysis step (approximately 8 min). Conclusions Both colourimetric and fluorescent assays show promise for the specific detection of B. constrictor in biosecurity contexts, including post-border enforcement and compliance checks in the domestic illicit wildlife trade. Implications Our findings greatly strengthen the ongoing development of biosecurity tools for trace DNA detection of commonly traded and trafficked species (i.e. reptiles) in wildlife enforcement contexts, advancing both preparedness and surveillance.

Public's perceptions of marine bioinvasive risks and responsible parties - Implications for social acceptability and better-informed communication in the marine biosecurity context.

Using the survey data on a representative sample of the New Zealand population, our study presents a process of understanding citizens' perceptions, identifying patterns in the perceptions, and recognising the knowledge gaps existing in the citizenry in the marine biosecurity context. While our findings show a healthy sign of the public accepting their own responsibility and the devolved responsibility of business/industry, there are considerable gaps between the general public's perceptions and (marine) biosecurity current practices and expectations. There is a moderately strong signal from survey respondents that suggest the need of significantly more effort and improved transparency in marine biosecurity communication. Our outcomes indicate an anthropocentric tendency, with influences of gender, age, education, income, frequency of beach visitation upon societal perceptions in terms of awareness, concern, perceived non-indigenous marine species impacts, and accountability in marine biosecurity management. The recognised socio-demographic patterns in societal perceptions would inform marine biosecurity communication strategies.

Using argument mapping to improve clarity and rigour in written intelligence products

ABSTRACT Intelligence products should be clear and rigorous. Intelligence organisations often attempt to improve clarity and rigour with training in thinking and writing. It is assumed that (1) training enhances clarity and rigour in products, and (2) greater clarity and rigour leads to better decisions. We describe three studies exploring these assumptions. These studies concern an initiative in a biosecurity context, based on a form of argument mapping. Results indicate that reports improved, but were inconclusive about the quality of decisions. We discuss implications of this research for intelligence.

Le virus, la chauve-souris et le totem. Ethnographie des relations inter-espèces dans le contexte biosécuritaire australien

Cet article examine la perception des frontières inter-espèces entre humains et chauves-souris au regard du dispositif de biosécurité déployé autour du virus Hendra (HeV) en Australie du nord-est. La zoonose hautement létale provoquée par le HeV circule entre les chauves-souris, les chevaux et les humains et reconfigure les relations entre ces trois espèces en désignant les chauves-souris comme des réservoirs de pathogènes, à l’origine de possibles épidémies. Pourtant, ces mammifères sont aussi considérés comme des espèces clés, jouant un rôle vital dans l’équilibre écologique de la forêt australienne. En s’appuyant sur l’anthropologie des zoonoses et les études interspécifiques, l’article analyse les pratiques et les représentations de différents groupes aborigènes et non aborigènes en contact avec les chauves-souris, et interroge la notion de distance aux animaux comme variable de contamination. Il apparaît que l’ontologie totémique, présente chez les Aborigènes, soutient des pratiques cynégétiques et médicinales qui remettent en cause certains principes de la biosécurité et font émerger une conception spatiale de la maladie, proche des agencements de la santé environnementale.

Managing the grand challenge of biological threats to food production: The importance of institutional logics for managing Australian biosecurity

This article argues that an institutional logics framework is critical for developing a shared responsibility approach to managing the grand challenge of biosecurity in Australian agriculture. We identify the dominant logics evident in the Australian biosecurity context. In doing so, we draw attention to how a shared responsibility approach is compromised by tensions created by multiple logics, such as varying interpretations of biosecurity roles and responsibilities that different actors hold. However, in reframing such tensions from an institutional ambidexterity framework, we argue that a shared responsibility approach is achievable and, through examples from the Australian context, highlight the sites and spaces through which it may be fostered. We argue that identifying these sites and spaces requires that scholars conceptualise logics as blended rather than as discrete modes of operation. JEL Classification: M19

The Suzhi farmer: Constructing and contesting farming Subjectivities in post-Socialist China

This paper analyses the use of the cultural convention of suzhi in attempts to improve biosecurity practices in the Chinese pig industry. Suzhi loosely refers to ‘quality’ and has been used to define the appropriate conduct of citizens during the era of market reforms. Like other forms of agricultural governmentality, suzhi provides a way of distinguishing ‘good farming’ and creating entrepreneurial subjectivities. However, in other policy areas, suzhi has been shown to marginalise the poor and reinforce social inequalities. This paper examines the extent to which discourses of suzhi in a biosecurity context contributes to the use of preventive animal health practices, amongst pig farmers in Chongming Island, Shanghai. Drawing on documentary evidence and interviews with 33 farm animal breeders and 3 pig veterinary surgeons, the paper examines how suzhi contributes to the creation of ‘good farming’ subjectivities in order to modernise the animal health practices of pig farmers. The paper shows how suzhi contributes to the valourisation and stigmatization of different pig farming subjectivities, suggesting that it reinforces existing socio-economic inequalities. Moreover, the paper describes the ways in which modes of conduct associated with suzhi are negotiated and challenged and reduced to a symbolic ‘cloak’ that disguises the reality of preventive animal health practices.

“Smart regulation” and community cooperation in Australia’s modern biosecurity context

ABSTRACTNeoliberal governments increasingly encourage greater industry and community self-reliance. This article investigates the potential use of “smart regulation”, that is, complementary policy instruments, in a context where reliance on voluntary approaches to achieve local cooperation is problematic. It explores the case of industry-driven “area-wide management” (AWM) of fruit fly, a potentially devastating mobile pest. AWM involves synchronised pest management across a geographical area. As host plants in nearby town backyards and peri-urban areas create fruit fly breeding places, pest management is also needed here. In Australia, most local horticulture industries are expected to drive these initiatives to minimise damage to their crops and market opportunities. AWM offers an example of where the beneficiaries are concentrated, but the risk contributors are diffused. Mixed-methods research was applied involving three Australian case studies. Considerations for four policy instruments that could be included in a “smart regulation” approach are explored. The article shows that applying “smart regulation” promises a prudent way forward when governments expect industry self-reliance, but where industry has limited influence over diffused risk contributors.

The role and challenges of new diagnostic technology in plant biosecurity

Pest and pathogens pose a major threat to food security and the natural environment, and these threats are moving around the globe. Trade, travel and transport have major roles to play in this and thus to improve plant biosecurity, we need enhanced phytosanitary inspection systems. In order to achieve this, there is a role for the more effective use of diagnostic technology, such as field-based testing or the use of next generation sequencing technology. In this review we examine the opportunities and challenges posed by using new technology within a plant biosecurity context, but in contrast to previous reviews, here we focus on practical challenges associated with deployment and routine use, rather than specific technical issues. These key challenges include the need to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies into the field, the accelerated discovery of new pathogens and the need for new risk assessment approaches, and improvements to our understanding of how best to deploy and use new diagnostic tools for maximum impact. Throughout we focus on how interdisciplinary approaches are important to help us improve our understanding and achieve our goals.

The Challenge of Evaluating Students’ Scientific Literacy in a Writing-to-Learn Context

This paper reports on the challenge of evaluating students’ scientific literacy in a writing-to-learn context, as illustrated by our experience with an online science-writing project. In this mixed methods study, year 9 students in a case study class (13–14 year olds, n = 26) authored a series of two ‘hybridised’ short stories that merged scientific and narratives genres about the socioscientific issue of biosecurity. In seeking to measure the efficacy of the intervention, we sought evidence of students’ conceptual understanding communicated through their stories. Finding a suitable instrument presented our first challenge. This led to the development of scoring matrices to evaluate students’ derived sense of scientific literacy. Student interviews were also conducted to explore their understanding of concepts related to the biosecurity context. While the results of these analyses showed significant improvements in students’ understanding arising from their participation in the writing tasks, the interviews highlighted a second challenge in evaluating students’ scientific literacy: a disparity between their written and vocalised understandings. The majority of students expressed a deeper level of conceptual understanding during the interviews than they did in their stories. The interviews also revealed alternative conceptions and instances of superficial understanding that were not expressed in their writing. Aside from the methodological challenge of analysing stories quantitatively, these findings suggest that in a writing-to-learn context, evaluating students’ scientific literacy can be difficult. An examination of these artefacts in combination with interviews about students’ written work provided a more comprehensive evaluation of their developing scientific literacy. The implications of this study for our understanding of the derived sense of scientific literacy, as well as implications for classroom practice, are discussed.

Predicting the Benefits of Banana Bunchy Top Virus Exclusion from Commercial Plantations in Australia

Benefit cost analysis is a tried and tested analytical framework that can clearly communicate likely net changes in producer welfare from investment decisions to diverse stakeholder audiences. However, in a plant biosecurity context, it is often difficult to predict policy benefits over time due to complex biophysical interactions between invasive species, their hosts, and the environment. In this paper, we demonstrate how a break-even style benefit cost analysis remains highly relevant to biosecurity decision-makers using the example of banana bunchy top virus, a plant pathogen targeted for eradication from banana growing regions of Australia. We develop an analytical approach using a stratified diffusion spread model to simulate the likely benefits of exclusion of this virus from commercial banana plantations over time relative to a nil management scenario in which no surveillance or containment activities take place. Using Monte Carlo simulation to generate a range of possible future incursion scenarios, we predict the exclusion benefits of the disease will avoid Aus$15.9-27.0 million in annual losses for the banana industry. For these exclusion benefits to be reduced to zero would require a bunchy top re-establishment event in commercial banana plantations three years in every four. Sensitivity analysis indicates that exclusion benefits can be greatly enhanced through improvements in disease surveillance and incursion response.

Biological invasions in marine ecosystems: ecological, management, and geographic perspectives

Perspectives on Marine Invasions.- Marine Bioinvasions: Conservation Hazards and Vehicles for Ecological Understanding.- Deep Invasion Ecology and the Assembly of Communities in Historical Time.- Natural and Climate Change Mediated Invasions.- Modeling Marine Invasions: Current and Future Approaches.- Invader Arrival.- Characterizing Vectors of Marine Invasion.- The Vessel as a Vector - Biofouling, Ballast Water and Sediments.- The Role of Propagule Pressure in Invasion Success.- Differentiating Successful and Failed Invaders: Species Pools and the Importance of Defining Vector, Source and Recipient Regions.- Invader Establishment.- The Establishment of Invasive Species.- The Role of Phenotypic Plasticity in Marine Biological Invasions.- Escape from Parasites.- Ecological Factors Affecting Community Invasibility.- Invader Integration into Ecosystems.- The Integration of Invasive Species into Marine Ecosystemss.- Competition in Marine Invasions.- Predator-Prey Interactions of Marine Invaders.- The Role of Exotic Marine Ecosystem Engineers.- Multitrophic Effects of Invasions in Marine and Estuarine Systems.- Management Perspectives.- Marine Bioinvasion Management: Structural Framework.- Examples of Current International, Regional and National Regulatory Frameworks for Preventing and Managing Marine Bioinvasions.- An Overview of Risk Assessment in a Marine Biosecurity Context.- Differing Consequences of Removing Ecosystem-Modifying Invaders: Significance of Impact and Community Context to Restoration Potential.- Geographic Perspectives.- Geographic Perspectives of Invasions in the Sea.- The Status and Distribution of Marine Alien Species in South Africa.- Marine Invasions in New Zealand: A History of Complex Supply-Side Dynamics.- Marine Bioinvasions in Australia.- Marine Bioinvasions in the Southeastern Pacific: Status, Ecology, Economic Impacts, Conservation and Management.- Marine Bioinvasions in the Brazilian Coast: Brief Report on History of Events, Vectors, Ecology, Impacts and Management of Non-indigenous Species.- Four Centuries of Biological Invasions in Tidal Waters of the Chesapeake Bay Region.- Introduced Aquatic Species of the North Sea Coasts and Adjacent Brackish Waters.- European Enclosed and Semi-enclosed Seas.- Marine Bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea - History, Distribution and Ecology.- A First Assessment of Invasive Marine Species on Chinese and Korean Coasts.- Invasions of Estuaries vs the Adjacent Open Coast: A Global Perspective.- Concluding Thoughts.- Future Directions For Marine Invasions Research.

Internal borders for managing invasive marine species

Summary This study discusses theoretical and practical issues around the definition of internal borders for the management of marine pests, drawing on principles from freshwater and terrestrial pest management. Internal borders are defined as post‐border intervention points around which vector management and related activities, such as pest surveillance and incursion response, can be undertaken. Internal borders can be identified in marine systems based on knowledge of natural barriers to the dispersal or establishment of pests, including planktonic life stages. We highlight opportunities to define internal borders at broad spatial scales according to oceanographic features or environmental conditions. At smaller spatial scales, habitat barriers based on relatively permanent features (e.g. substratum) could be defined for target organisms (or suites of similar organisms), especially those having both restricted habitat requirements and a limited planktonic duration. Where internal borders are identified, risk‐based approaches can be used to determine vector management priorities, incorporating knowledge of the connectivity and strength of interactions between hubs of vector activity. However, greater biosecurity and biodiversity benefits may arise from approaches that combine risk‐based measures for target pests, with generic measures (e.g. vessel hull anti‐fouling) that are applied equally across all human‐mediated invasion pathways. Case studies of high‐profile marine pests in New Zealand illustrate situations where the benefits of internal border management have been realized. The challenge now is to identify how practical it is to widely apply internal borders in a marine biosecurity context, and to identify new internal borders around which management can practically be undertaken. Synthesis and applications. Effective control of pest species in marine environments is possible even when they become relatively widespread and established. The definition of internal borders provides an approach to marine biosecurity that assists in elucidating opportunities and priorities for management. Although marine systems are regarded as relatively open, the principles and approaches necessary for the successful management of marine pests are conceptually the same as those applied in freshwater systems and on land.

Flexible Boundaries in Biosecurity: Accommodating Gorse in Aotearoa New Zealand

The context of biosecurity has been theorised through attention to borders, boundaries, and expert processes of categorisation. This emergent literature represents biosecurity governance as brittle, unreflexive, and unresponsive. In contrast, biosecurity practices in New Zealand produce a complexity of semipermeable boundaries of control that are beginning to incorporate flexibility and sensitivity to the spatiotemporal geographies of indeterminate entities, and to changing and competing human values. Gorse ( Ulex spp), a woody, perennial shrub, was imported to New Zealand during the early stages of European settlement, and has been the subject of shifting biosecurity-related management practices for close to 150 years. Classified as a ‘pest plant’, gorse is currently subject to the biosecurity rationalities of internal pest management. Cost–benefit analysis and the ‘infestation-curve model’ are drawn on in the placement of gorse in a hierarchy of control categories within regional pest management strategies. This classification and control is negotiated between institutional and public values and rationalities within a formalised consultation process, and through the diffuse impact of public opinion. Gorse also plays an active role in the decision-making process, as its extensive distribution informs the allocation of control responses, and through its controversial role as a ‘nurse plant’ for native species. This paper therefore presents a challenge to emergent critical social scientific approaches to biosecurity, suggesting that we can learn something from the socionatural subtlety of policy making and implementation practices in New Zealand.