7. COMMUNICATION AND STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT

In establishing the objectives of any biosecurity activity, it is critically important to consider the various interests and mandates of the full range of stakeholders. It is also essential to establish the necessary capacity to fulfil all required functions at each stage of the biosecurity cycle.

The development of an effective biosecurity programme is an iterative process, so that the initial stages (including the objectives) may have to be reconsidered at a later date. However, given this proviso, a simple three-step approach suffices in many areas of biosecurity. Various groups may be involved in each of the three stages:

• Pre-risk: identification of objectives; identification and assessment of risks; agreement on methods to be employed; identification of critical decision points and establishment of the financial, human and infrastructural capacity needed to implement checking procedures at these decision points.
• Surveillance: monitoring the targeted risk to ensure that checking procedures at the critical decision points are functioning correctly. This may be the exclusive responsibility of a particular body, but more usually will be a secondary responsibility of a number of sectoral bodies.
• Management, including containment and eradication: in the event of failure, actions to redress or mitigate the situation are usually required.

Good communication is crucial at each stage. This has a number of aspects: communication between those responsible for managing risk at any particular moment, or in relation to particular events; informing the public and consumers of ongoing biosecurity measures in a transparent way, and, in the event of an outbreak, rapid and effective mass communication with the aim of securing public understanding and support. Various recent crises have demonstrated the critical role of communication in effective biosecurity.

There is no `one-size-fits-all' system for biosecurity - it requires the use of various tools on a case-by-case basis. Such tools should include a set of proven practices for handling various aspects of risk management in local, national and supra-national contexts. Understanding the `toolbox' nature of biosecurity is particularly important when considering the interface between national biosecurity systems and the relevant international policy and regulatory framework. Typically, because of the specificity of the problems addressed, different solutions to biosecurity problems have been adopted not only in different countries, but also in various sectors within a single country.

In relation to trade, a well-developed national biosecurity system can be of real benefit in allowing a country to enter otherwise restricted markets. This can be of particular value to developing countries, where biosecurity capacity-building should concentrate on need-driven, progressive and sustainable implementation and harmonization of their legal frameworks and institutional structures. Technical assistance and experience gained in other countries can be invaluable in informing this process (adapted from FAO (2002)).