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Disease surveillance - Surveillance involves the continual, systematic collection, collation, analysis and interpretation of health data regarding a population or a sample population of animals, plants or aquatic animals. Surveillance can alert farmers, private vets and the public sector of the appearance of re-emerging pathogens, enabling them to implement the appropriate control measures before outbreaks happen.

Significance of Disease Surveillance in Agriculture

• Quick identification and rapid isolation of the outbreak:

Similarly, viruses, such as avian influenza, African swine fever, or viral crop diseases, can rapidly spread from farm to farm. The ability to rapidly identify an abnormality or pathogen and implement a targeted approach to control - without needing to spread that pathogen to other farms or regions - is extremely valuable.

• Protection Of Livestock And Yield Of Crops:

By continuously monitoring the health of each farm, the farm yields and livestock deaths are reduced. By preventing large scale losses on farm, it protects the income and production of farmers.

• Food Security and Economic Stability:

It's the sector which produces the food and raw materials. Widespread disease outbreaks can decimate crops or stock herds. They can also cause shortages and increases in the price of foods on the commodities markets and the global food supply. Robust surveillance systems protect a country's food security and mitigate shocks.

• Zoonotic Disease Prevention:

Many of these human diseases (zoonoses) such as some types of avian flus, rabies, and brucellosis could be transmitted from animals to humans. Therefore, animal disease surveillance has been thought of as a vital early-line of defense against these agents that could help to prevent human infection.

• Support for Evidence-Based Policy and Safe Trade:

Reliable surveillance data means that governments and WTO nations are able to have confidence in agricultural commodities. Being able to get an animal health status of disease free potentially opens the door to exports in international markets; quantitative data sets out the national agro-preneurial strategy; vaccine timetable and resource planning.

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