Biosecurity in New Zealand: key role of veterinary science in the protection of New Zealand’s natural resources, industries and people
Broadly, biosecurity can be defined as the protection of an environment from biological threats. In New Zealand, an isolated island nation with unique endemic flora and fauna and a dependence on agriculture, this is particularly critical in order to protect the economy, natural biodiversity, and human and animal health. From a veterinary perspective, biosecurity may be considered in terms of an individual animal, a farm or livestock holding, a companion animal breeder, a whole species, a primary production sector or specific geographic regions, and concerns both disease prevention and control.
This collection brings together articles published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal over the last 15 years on the topic of biosecurity in New Zealand. It opens with an editorial by veterinary epidemiologist Matthew Stone, until recently Deputy Director General – International Standards and Science at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), published in the November 2021 issue of the Journal. It is anchored by a review published in the May 2021 issue of the Journal regarding the epidemiology of African Swine Fever with a focus on risk factors for incursion into New Zealand. The collection also contains articles reporting the first cases/outbreak of a novel disease to New Zealand, assessments of risk and biosecurity measures in specific animal industries in New Zealand and several articles in which potential programmes for detection and control of pathogens are assessed by in silico modelling. As a whole this collection reflects the rapidly changing biosecurity risk landscape and the contributions of New Zealand’s veterinary science community to understanding and addressing these risks.