Industry & Academia Collaboration

Launch of the Academic Chair in Biosecurity in Animal Production

The faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University, Belgium, in collaboration with CID LINES, An Ecolab Company, has created an Academic Chair in biosecurity in animal production. Through this, research and education programs on biosecurity in animal production will be developed. Biosecurity initiatives will be linked with One Health topics (e.g. trends on antimicrobial usage).

Biosecurity is key to prevent the introduction and spread of epidemic / transboundary diseases (e.g. African Swine Fever, Avian Influenza) that can have detrimental impacts on farm animal production chains. Likewise, biosecurity’s role is crucial in preventing zoonotic infections (e.g. Campylobacter, Salmonella) and therefore also benefits human health in a stable to table approach. It addresses as well the daily concerns of farmers linked to the endemically present infections that need to be kept under control to prevent the adverse health effects and economic consequences, as well as increased antimicrobial use and impaired animal welfare.

With the industry facing multiple challenges (e.g. one health threats, environmental burden, responsible use of antimicrobials), this Biosecurity Chair will create meaningful output with a strong focus on keeping animals healthy via applying preventive biosecurity measures. Improving biosecurity is expected to improve resilience and sustainability of agriculture.