Keynote lectures and other presentations formed the main content of the conference. Professor Maurizio Aragrande from the Univerity of Bologna, Italy, shared his views on the economic aspects of animal biosecurity. Photo by Hannele Kettunen
First Conference on Animal Biosecurity in Barcelona June 5-6, 2025
Biosecurity is essential for preventing infectious diseases that threaten animal welfare and food security. Animal diseases cause economic losses of over US $300 billion annually in livestock production globally (World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)). Effective biosecurity reduces these losses, supports productivity, and protects public confidence in food systems.
Biosecurity plays a paramount role in animal farming, serving as the key to keeping animals healthy and well-performing. It involves keeping animal pathogens out of farms to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. This includes physical structures, farm management techniques, and the behavior of everyone working in or visiting the farm.
While biosecurity may seem like a simple concept, success requires a whole lot of knowledge, effort, perseverance, and resources. Still, farmers cannot control every factor that affects animal biosecurity: climate, wild animals, nearby animal farms, and local human communities all contribute to the pathogen pressure in the area, to name a few.
Given the importance of animal biosecurity on food production, it may come as a surprise that the first scientific conference dedicated to animal biosecurity was held only this month. Nearly 200 expert in farm animal biosecurity gathered to the Bellaterra campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, for the First Conference on Animal Biosecurity on 5–6 June, 2025.
The 2 days event included keynote lectures, short presentations and posters with state-of-the-art information on farm animal biosecurity from global and local viewpoints. During that time the new technologies, social aspects, economics, and education were discussed.
Most of the conference participants worked on the 4-year BETTER COST Action project, which they recently completed. Within its four working practices, the project had evaluated current biosecurity practices and studied motivators and barriers for biosecurity implementation. The achievements of the project were summarized in this conference.
The conference also celebrated the beginning of the World Animal Biosecurity Association (WABA). This association aims to encourage cooperation among professionals who have an interest in animal biosecurity. Veterinarians, animal scientists, epidemiologists, and professionals in allied industries are now welcome to become members of WABA.
R&D Manager Hannele Kettunen from Hankkija participated to the First Conference on Animal Biosecurity, and presented a poster which summarized the research program behind our newly launched detergent innovation Resipro® Foam. The poster was titled “Antimicrobial potential of saponified coniferous rosin in hygiene products for animal farms”. The high-foaming, alkaline detergent Resipro® Farm effectively cleans animal farms and transport vehicles. And we now offer it for worldwide distribution.
Find poster below…
