The urgent need for biosecurity education within the agribusiness sector

Biosecurity within the agribusiness sector is an often-neglected and forgotten area. Biosecurity vulnerabilities within the sector hold significant global risks, which are emphasised by the ever-growing threat of climate change, the presence of global conflicts, and the advancements made in science and technology. Biosecurity vulnerabilities also hold a multitude of public health (physical and psychological), environmental, economic, and political consequences. In this study, we systematically surveyed 199 university-taught courses relating to agribusiness to determine the extent to which biosecurity risks were addressed. We found that only 4% of surveyed courses contained clear biosecurity elements, thus exhibiting a huge educational gap. Among these 4%, zero courses addressed agroterrorism, agro-crime, or bioweapons, including the economic, physical, psychological, and political implications. We therefore argue for the development of an internationally coordinated curriculum that embeds biosecurity concepts into established courses. This will hugely enhance existing topics taught in courses to meet the urgent need in new circumstances derived from new science and technology.