20.500.12556/RUL-181483 National definitions and legal requirements for biosecurity on small-scale livestock farms in Europe Small-scale livestock farms play an important role in food security and are often associated with lower levels of biosecurity, thereby increasing the risk of disease introduction and spread, which compromises both animal and public health. Establishing a clear legal framework for biosecurity could help ensure the consistent adoption of preventive measures on these farms. However, little is known about how biosecurity is regulated for small-scale farms across Europe, and on how these farms are defined at national level. This study aimed to map the biosecurity measures that are mandated for small-scale pig, poultry and cattle farms by national legislation and to identify the criteria used to define small-scale farms. Species-specific questionnaires covering pre-listed biosecurity measures were distributed to national experts, and validated information was obtained from 19 European countries. The results showed considerable heterogeneity: most countries lack a clear definition of small-scale farms, with categorization most frequently based on the purpose of animal keeping rather than the number of animals. Biosecurity measures were mandated by national legislation for small-scale farms, but were rarely tailored to the production systems, instead being applied uniformly to all holdings of a given species. Furthermore, regular assessment of biosecurity implementation was mandatory in around half of the small-scale farm types. These findings highlight legislative gaps and inconsistencies that limit the ability to design proportionate, risk-based approaches for small-scale farms. More targeted policies are needed including clear definitions and adapted biosecurity requirements. Otherwise, small-scale farm types continue to be overlooked in Europe’s biosecurity framework. biosecurity legislation mapping risk-based policy biološka varnost zakonodaja kartiranje politika ki temelji na tveganju true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-04-09 04:43:36 2026-04-09 11:39:30 2026-04-10 04:38:51 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 12 str. Vol. 252, art. 106854 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 636:614.9:34(4) 1873-1716 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2026.106854 273170691 National-Stukelj.pdf National-Stukelj.pdf 1 716B824CBF2BDEE61AF6850E77A898B3 1a4e2e4f54bd3350e0a0a722a34fe2605cd726917556a470ca5adb1742cdfefb c5886fdf-33f7-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=232030 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587726000735 1 baf73857-33bd-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=231994 Veterinarska fakulteta 0 0 0