FAO presents its newly developed integrated biosecurity index and assessment tool

As human, animal, environment, and trade and agriculture get more interconnected, countries need to maintain an integrated approach to analyze and manage risks associated with linkages between these sectors such as the spread of pests and diseases across borders. Biosecurity integrated approach will help to safeguard the sectors and protect against emerging threats.

At the Inter-Regional Workshop on the Integrated Biosecurity Index (IBI), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented the critical integrated biosecurity index and assessment tool it developed and has benefited from reviews by experts in human, plant, and animal health and environment sectors.

The meeting brought together over 70 national and international experts from various disciplines working on biosecurity domains from Bahrain, Ethiopia, Oman, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Need for IBI and assessment tool

FAO believes inadequate controls in one sector can have far-reaching consequences for other sectors.

“The IBI and assessment tool aim to provide overarching easy and rapid self-assessment of the risks to the national biosecurity. It does not intend to replace existing tools related to biosecurity assessment and management of each individual sector but adds value through integration,” Shoki Al-Dobai, Locust and Transboundary Plant Pests and Disease Team Leader told the conference.

The new tool aligns well with globally agreed existing assessment tools such as Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE), Food Safety Control Assessment tool, and Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial and Aquatic Animal Biosecurity (PMPs), among others.

UAE is taking the lead to pilot IBI and assessment tool.

A tool for Investment planning

The information collected is confidential, and the index reviews performance annually facilitating strategic decision-making including planning of investment to address the identified gaps by the IBI tool.

Biosecurity integrated assessment tool therefore will effectively, efficiently, and sustainably gauge the status and progress of biosecurity systems at both national and sub-national levels.

A well-executed biosecurity strategy has the potential to bolster food security and foster sustainable economic growth.

Customizing IBI tool

Once finalized, the IBI and assessment tool will be customized at country-level and harmonized across disciplines namely, aquatic and terrestrial animal health, plant health, food safety, and forestry/invasive species management.

The IBI consists of a hierarchy of 6 Principles, 18 Criteria and 124 indicators covering biosecurity aspects of animal health, plant health and food safety. 

Biosecurity and IBI are aligned to FAO Strategic Framework on Better Production on One Health.

The IBI with the assessment tool was developed under the framework of two projects: GCP/UAE/012/AFS-F on “Developing an integrated biosecurity assessment and monitoring tools for food and agriculture sectors in the Abu Dhabi Emirate” and TCP/INT/3901 on “Prevention of potential pandemics through strengthening the implementation of biosecurity improvement for emerging transboundary threats on food and agriculture sectors”. Ends