Strengthening disease control and trade through zoning and biosecurity.

Abstract

Zoning and biosecurity are fundamental tools in veterinary public health and international trade. However, their implementation suffers from fragmented approaches to geospatial representation and uneven adoption across countries. This article discusses outcomes of the G7 Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) meeting (Padua, October 2024), where the integration of zoning and biosecurity was highlighted as a possible pathway to strengthen disease control and facilitate trade. Two initiatives, GeoZone and ClassyFarm are used to illustrate this approach. The former advances zoning clarity through a geospatial framework based on ISO TC211 standards, defining spatial data structures and exchange protocols to improve cross-country GIS interoperability, while the latter complements this approach by providing structured biosecurity data collection and risk classification at farm, regional and national levels. We critically discuss the potential and limitations of both systems, and their contribution to the advancement of geospatial epidemiology. By treating zoning and biosecurity as harmonized, data-driven frameworks, these initiatives mark progress towards more a transparent, standardised and globally applicable animal health management.