Risk analysis and risk assessment in pig production

During the last five or so years, the use of risk analysis and risk assessment has expanded within the veterinary domain. Early analyses have focused on issues relating to international trade and have been concerned primarily with import/export problems. More recently, topics such as food safety and disease transmission have been approached from a risk analysis perspective and consequently these tools are becoming recognised as a useful aid to decision making in all areas of animal production. This paper gives an overview of risk analysis and risk assessment. Initially, the terminology and methodology used are outlined. The use of these techniques is then demonstrated by considering some examples from pig production