The veterinary epidemiology unit of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University has in recent years built up extensive expertise in the application of biosecurity measures on pigs and poultry farms in order to optimize the health and production results on these farms and to reduce the use of antibiotics. In this context, biosecurity includes all measures aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of animal diseases on a livestock farm. From many years of research into biosafety a deposited biosecurity score system has been developed: Biocheck.ugent®. This makes it possible to measure biosafety on a commercial livestock farm in an objective and repeatable way, and then draw up a report that immediately reflects the strong and weak parts of the company with regard to biosafety (and therefore animal disease prevention). The biocheck.ugent system is freely available on our website (www.biocheck.ugent.be). The system is extremely suitable for use in various companies in several countries and has meanwhile already been used in more than 35 countries and 3000 companies. Alie data that is introduced into the system is collected in an anonymous way, on our server, which provides a very good source of information for our research group i.v. application of biosecurity measures throughout the world. In addition to the score system, a training concept was also created according to the "train the trainer" principle whereby local animal health care workers (veterinarians, animal health care employees, etc.) are trained and trained to perform biosecurity audits on pigs and poultry farms on the basis of the Biocheck. ugent® system and, based on this, to draw up practical advice for local livestock farmers. In the near future, a biocheck.ugent I beef will also be available.

In the context of the cooperation between East Flanders and Vietnam, a visit to Vietnam was already held in 2017, during which several successful company visits and workshops were given in Hanoi and Ho Chi Ming City in collaboration with the companies Nuscience and Cid-Lines. In the follow-up project it would be the intention to further develop these workshops and also carry out even more practical training on the terrain in cooperation with partners in Vietnam who are already becoming more familiar with the use of the biocheck.ugent system such as the employees of NIAS, extension officers, Nong Lam University employees, People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. This training will once again work together with (East) Flemish companies such as Aqua-ecologic (waterhygiene), Nuscience (food additives), Lambert-Segers (food) and Cid-Lines (cleaning and disinfection products) to provide specific further technical training in very specific parts of hygiene, food and biosafety.

During the visit a series of company visits will be conducted (3-5 days) on commercial pig and poultry farms to carry out biosecurity audits. Training will then be provided for the local extension officers, organized in collaboration with OARD Ho Chi Minh City and the Institute for Agriculture Science or South Vietnam (IAS) (3 days). The intention is to take a test with these extension officers after a course of 3 days, after which they can obtain a certificate from "certified Biocheck.ugent user". In this way we guarantee that the extension officers have received a thorough training and the extension officers can also demonstrate this to inspection bodies and to farmers.