Biosecurity Concept: Origins, Evolution and Perspectives
Véronique Renault,
Marie-France Humblet,
Claude Saegerman
Affiliations
Véronique Renault
Research Unit in Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences (UREAR-ULiege), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal Health (FARAH) Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium
Marie-France Humblet
Biosafety and Biosecurity Unit, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium
Claude Saegerman
Research Unit in Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences (UREAR-ULiege), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal Health (FARAH) Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium
Originally used in reference to the management of biological weapons and bio-terrorism, the term biosecurity was first used in the agricultural sector in the 1980s as “the sum of risk management practices in the defence against biological threats”. This term was then taken up in different strategic documents of different organisations, so multiple definitions and understandings co-exist. This short communication reviews the origins and evolution of the biosecurity concept and discusses the future perspectives of biosecurity in regard to the One Health Approach and the changing environment.
