Abstract
Biosecurity, in the context of agriculture and natural ecosystems, refers to a strategic framework of policies and procedures intended to prevent the introduction or release of biological agents and materials that have the potential to threaten or compromise the agricultural sector in the form of invasive species, exotic pathogens, and foreign pests. Exchange of plants, animals, and agricultural products along with wood packaging material and dunnage that are transported through commerce and trade can lead to accidental introductions of foreign pathogens and pests unless sound biosecurity protocols are implemented to ensure the quality and safety of imported commodities at the local, transboundary, and global levels. Principal stakeholders at risk are those with interests in food, feed, fiber, oil, ornamental, and industrial crops; commercial forestry, natural ecosystems, and parks; and the livestock, poultry, aquaculture, fisheries, and apiculture industries.
TopIntroduction
Biosecurity, in the context of agriculture and natural ecosystems, refers to a strategic framework of policies and procedures intended to prevent the introduction or release of biological agents and materials that have the potential to threaten or compromise the agricultural sector in the form of invasive species, exotic pathogens, and foreign pests. Exchange of plants, animals, and agricultural products along with wood packaging material and dunnage that are transported through commerce and trade can lead to accidental introductions of foreign pathogens and pests unless sound biosecurity protocols are implemented to ensure the quality and safety of imported commodities at the local, transboundary, and global levels. Principal stakeholders at risk are those with interests in food, feed, fiber, oil, ornamental, and industrial crops; commercial forestry, natural ecosystems and parks; and the livestock, poultry, aquaculture, fisheries, and apiculture industries.
Primary factors contributing to the vulnerability of various sectors include: 1) wide variations in the types, sizes, and management practices of production systems around the world; 2) challenges in establishing and maintaining effective monitoring, surveillance, and control programs to identify and successfully manage current and evolving biosecurity threats; 3) the growing interdependence of large-scale agricultural businesses, combined with an increasing reliance on vertical integration; and 4) administrative and political barriers that impede timely communication and sharing of critical information between various national oversight systems.
A nation’s economy can be easily sabotaged by the accidental or intentional release and dissemination of biological agents that have the capacity to cause widespread harm and destruction to people, animals, plants, and/or the environment. Risks are managed through early detection and rapid control measures that are designed to prevent unauthorized introduction of invasive species, pests, and foreign diseases with the potential to compromise a country or region’s agricultural assets. Basic control techniques focus on preventing introductions; identifying threats in a timely manner; and managing consequences to minimize their impact. The main objective is to reduce opportunities for any species, pests, or pathogens with elevated biosecurity concerns to spread or become established.
Foreign pathogens and pest species can be introduced as contaminants of agricultural products and other goods that are legally exchanged between countries (Capinha et al., 2015; Seebens et al., 2017; Tabak et al., 2017). However, they can also be indirectly transported over long distances through natural currents of air and water; routine movements of migratory wildlife and birds; and by lapses in sanitation or disinfection procedures during the shipping process. Inanimate objects such as shipping vessels, ballast water, sea containers, machinery carts, wooden transport crates, packing materials, soil, and other contaminated products can conceal non-indigenous plants, pollen, animals, insects, and their associated microbial flora while in transit, allowing their accidental escape or release during the shipping process (McNeill et al., 2011; Ruiz et al., 1997).
Humans can also accelerate the movement of foreign species, pests, and pathogens through negligent acts that reflect an inadequate understanding of sound biosecurity principles or poor judgment. These can include careless handling or intentional release of nonindigenous plants, animals, and contaminated agricultural commodities into new ecosystems compatible with their survival. Proliferation of feral swine throughout the western hemisphere is a classic example of unforeseen consequences resulting from the casual introduction of a new species, without proactive consideration of the potential risks (West et al., 2009). Wild pigs contribute to the spread of various diseases that are endemic to many swine-producing regions, such as leptospirosis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and their presence significantly impedes control efforts directed at other high consequence pathogens, such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF), when disease-free areas are threatened by introduction of these agents (Brown et al., 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Phytosanitary Certificate: An inspection certificate issued by a competent government authority for a shipment of plants or plant materials that confirms the goods have been inspected, treated, and verified free from harmful pests and plant diseases; the certificate must be issued prior to customs clearance for export and import.
Exclusion: An organized strategy or formal process for intentionally excluding a specific risk (e.g., pest or pathogen).
Metabolic Stress Disinfection: A non-thermal, residue-free decontamination process, involving physical manipulations that generate cycles of expansion and compression forces combined with low vapor concentrations of natural chemicals to simultaneously disinfect and disinfest fresh agricultural products.
Established: Refers to (1) a pathogen or pest found regularly in susceptible populations of a country or jurisdiction and regarded as endemic, or (2) invasive species that have been successfully dispersed and are proliferating in a new region or territory.
Incubation Period: The interval between initial exposure to an infectious organism and the onset of clinical signs.
Quarantine Period: The amount of time that plants, animals, and/or other goods which have been potentially exposed to an infectious agent must be restricted from movement or kept in isolation to prevent pathogens, insect pests, and other contagious diseases from being dispersed or transmitted into vulnerable populations.
Ballooning: (Also called kiting) a process by which some early-stage larvae (i.e., caterpillars), small insects, and other invertebrates are dispersed by releasing gossamer threads that allow them to hang from the forest canopy and become airborne when picked up by wind or electric currents.
Biorational Approaches: An economical and ecologically sound approach to pest control that uses products of natural origin with limited or no adverse effects on the environment or beneficial organisms.
Nonthermal Plasma: A disinfection process that relies on energy released from a partially ionized gas maintained at a temperature that is sufficient to inactive biofilms and other microorganisms, but compatible with living tissues, plant material, meat, and other products with fragile surfaces.
Border: The official boundary of a distinct geographical or political jurisdiction, which serves as a critical control point for regulating or limiting the movement of people, animals, plants, and other goods into and out of a designated area or region.
Virus Phenotype: The observable physical properties and other attributes of a virus that influence its survival, transmission, and virulence.
Outcome-Specific Data: Specific, measurable data or indicators that track progress toward a targeted outcome or goal.
Zoosanitary: Information relevant to the health status and disease control procedures for animals and animal products, especially as they pertain to international trade and commerce of agricultural crops.
Phytosanitary: Information relevant to the health status and disease control procedures for plants and plant products, especially as they pertain to international trade and commerce of agricultural crops.
Subclinical Infection: An infection that has no, or minimally recognizable, clinical signs or symptoms.
Bioexclusion: (Also known as external biosecurity) preventative measures and risk reduction strategies designed to prevent the introduction of new pathogens or pests into a population from an outside source.
Pest-Free Status: Refers to an officially identified area or region where a target pest is not found and which is managed and maintained to prevent the target pest’s introduction, dispersal, and establishment.
Actionable Pathogens and Pests: A specific disease-causing micro-organism (pathogen) or destructive insect (pest) that initiates a sequence of coordinated interventions and control measures to prevent introduction and dissemination into new territories or vulnerable populations.