Can a digital traffic-light tool help farms assess African swine fever risk?
The German ASP-Risikoampel allowed thousands of holdings to self-assess ASF biosecurity, but voluntary results should not be treated as representative of all farms.
The German ASP-Risikoampel allowed thousands of holdings to self-assess ASF biosecurity, but voluntary results should not be treated as representative of all farms.
Problem: Producers need a practical way to identify their own African-swine-fever biosecurity weaknesses.
Methods: A German tool containing 117 expert-weighted questions developed through a Delphi process generated red, yellow, or green risk classifications and customized recommendations. The authors analyzed 2,290 self-assessments completed from 2019 to 2023.
1. Tool use corresponded to approximately 11.9% of the average number of German pig holdings during the period.
2. Mean overall biosecurity was 67.8%. A total of 57.6% of holdings exceeded the threshold for the low-risk category, 41.1% were intermediate, and 1.3% were high risk.
3. The tool can identify specific weaknesses, but results from a voluntary self-assessment should not be interpreted as a representative prevalence estimate for all German farms.
Original publication
Denzin N, Wieneke N, Gellermann M, Sauter-Louis C, Grabkowsky B. Biosecurity Versus African Swine Fever—Making, Acceptance, and Results of a German Online Assessment Tool. Pathogens. 2025;14(6):524.