The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new free virtual course to help ruminant farmers improve biosecurity on their farms.

Available through FAO Virtual Learning Centres in English, Russian and Turkish, the self-paced "Improving Ruminant Biosecurity" course supports safer livestock production, healthier animals, and more resilient farming systems.

Improved biosecurity on ruminant farms reduces disease risks for both animals and humans while strengthening the economic performance of farms through lower treatment costs, fewer losses and better productivity, the FAO said. Following good quarantine protocols, ensuing good farm hygiene, and controlling the movements of animals, people, and vehicles are all highly cost-effective methods for safeguarding the health of ruminant herds and flocks.

"By helping veterinarians and farmers apply simple, practical biosecurity measures on farms, the course contributes to healthier animals, safer food systems, and more resilient livelihoods, while also reducing the risk of diseases that can affect both animals and people,"said Animal Health Preparedness Expert Mark Hovari.

The course is addressed to field veterinarians. After completing approximately five hours of coursework, participants must pass an assessment to obtain a certificate of completion.

The course is being accredited by Veterinary Continuing Education in Europe (VetCEE), a European body that upholds high standards in continuing veterinary education. This accreditation enables participants to earn credits towards their continuing professional development.

The course aims to prepare learners with the skills they need to understand and communicate the health and economic benefits of improved biosecurity on ruminant farms, implement evidence based and cost effective measures, assess biosecurity practices across different ruminant production systems, and develop biosecurity plans.

The course is structured in three parts:

- Introduction to ruminant biosecurity, covering core modules such as risks associated with animals, vehicles, equipment, wildlife and pests, and live animal markets;

- Assessment of farm biosecurity;

- Advanced ruminant biosecurity, focusing on specific production systems such as dairy, feedlots, pastures and small-scale production.

This new self-paced course is part of a larger training programme on improving ruminant biosecurity that targets the primary stakeholders – livestock owners, veterinarians, and other relevant actors – along the ruminant value chains. The process started in 2023 with the development of training materials that were then adapted to a range of delivery modalities, both virtual (in tutored and self-paced formats) and in person through a "training of trainers" or cascade approach.

Four tutored courses in English, Russian, Turkish and Romanian were held from February to June 2024, with 961 people successfully completing the course. A series of face-to-face trainings followed between March and June 2025, targeting farmers, veterinarians and intermediaries in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Republic of Moldova.

In total, 675 farmers, 426 veterinarians, and 78 intermediaries were trained on ruminant biosecurity in their native languages.

This work is aligned with the principles of FAO's Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial Animal Biosecurity, which is FAO's institutional initiative to support member states in strengthening biosecurity in livestock value chains. It is supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency within the United States Department of Defense.

- FAO

FAO launches free biosecurity virtual course for ruminant farmers

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