How our surveys are built

Biocheck.Ugent is a scientific and risk-based tool developed at Ghent University, designed to measure and enhance on-farm biosecurity. The tool takes a comprehensive approach, evaluating a wide range of the most important factors that influence the spread of animal diseases, rather than focusing on a single pathogen.

The surveys are divided into external and internal biosecurity components, each made up of several subcategories containing 2 to 19 questions. Most questions offer two or three answer options. Each question is weighted based on the importance of the biosecurity measure it assesses, using weight factors determined by international biosecurity experts and aligned with the five principles of biosecurity.

Each subcategory is also weighted according to its relevance to disease transmission, based on expert evaluations and literature reviews. This ensures that the final risk-based score reflects the relative importance of each biosecurity measure. Scores for external and internal biosecurity range from 0 to 100 with 0 representing the total absence of biosecurity measures and 100 indicating full implementation of all questioned measures.

Biocheck.Ugent tool is built on a framework of conditionality that ensures the tool remains applicable across diverse production systems and regions. This approach allows consistent, comparable results while keeping the flexibility needed to adapt to the specific conditions of farms worldwide.

Basic report

Each survey generates farm-specific scores, a global average, and, when available, a national average. Scores are provided for each subcategory within both external and internal biosecurity. These are combined, taking their respective weights into account, to produce subtotals and an overall biosecurity score.

Spider plots

The report includes visual representations (spider plots) that show users' performance across subcategories. Each axis represents a specific subcategory.

For example, "A" might refer to "Purchase of animals and semen" in the indoor pig survey.

If you are curious about how a specific score was calculated, the relevant survey question numbers are listed alongside each subcategory.

Weight factors

Each subcategory is assigned a specific weight that reflects its importance in disease prevention. These weights are based on scientific evidence and international expert consensus, ensuring a balanced and meaningful assessment.

You can find species-specific weight factors here:

Weight factors for poultry Weight factors for pig Weight factors for cattle Weight factors for small ruminants