African swine fever (ASF) is spreading rapidly in Asia and was confirmed in Mongolia on 10 January 2019. Following the outbreak confirmation, a state emergency committee was established with representation from municipal authorities and other relevant authorities including the General Authority for Veterinary Services, National Emergency Management Agency, General Agency for Specialized Inspection, and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The committee provided recommendations and coordinated closely with the State Central Veterinary Laboratory to ensure quick outbreak investigation and response. In addition to outbreak investigations, sampling took place at farms and food premises and suggests a link between the outbreaks and swill feeding practices among backyard pig farmers. Upon government request, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) deployed an expert team to assist in identifying risk factors for the disease spread and provide recommendations as how to improve disease prevention and response. Following the control measures from the involved agencies, the epidemic was successfully controlled and declared over on 11 April 2019. In total, the epidemic affected 83 pig farming households and led to a total of 2862 dead or culled pigs in eleven districts of seven provinces in Mongolia.

While biosecurity is of increasing importance globally, there is still limited evidence of the factors or elements that support the progressive and sustainable scaling up of biosecurity along the value chains from the local to the global level. To gain insight into the current body of literature on biosecurity, a mixed-methods approach was used based on a scoping literature review and an online survey with subject matter experts. Six databases were searched for published literature, and textual information from titles and abstracts of all included records (n = 266) were analysed through inductive content analysis to build biosecurity-relevant categories and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of existing biosecurity systems or initiatives (such as projects or programs). Most records focused on initiatives in high-income countries, traditional livestock species (pigs, poultry, and large ruminants), and the production stage and had a disease-specific focus. No records described a comprehensive or global framework to progressively scale up biosecurity. Overall, the findings highlight the need for initiatives such as the FAO Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial Animal Biosecurity (FAO-PMP-TAB), which is a stepwise approach for strengthening biosecurity management along value chains to enhance the health, resilience, and sustainability of animal sectors. The findings highlight important elements and provide recommendations useful for developing approaches or a global framework to progressively improve biosecurity management.

The use of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock production has contributed to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a significant global public health threat specifically from the projected mortality burden. Although many countries have restricted the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics, practical and effective alternatives are still required to maintain livestock productivity. This scoping review examines the current evidence on non-antibiotic compounds evaluated as growth-promoting agents in livestock production. The primary objective of this search was to generate a comprehensive list of commonly applied alternatives to antibiotics used as growth promoters in livestock systems. A search was conducted in the CAB Abstracts, Web of Science Core Collection, and AGRICOLA databases. Prior to the scoping review, an initial list of alternatives to antibiotic components was generated through a screening of selected scientific sources and subsequently verified using Google Scholar for the period 2010–2025. This list included brief descriptions of each component, which were used to inform the keyword strategy for the scoping review. Eligible studies were screened in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines, and data were extracted on compound type, livestock species, geographic region, and reported performance outcomes. The alternatives identified included probiotics and prebiotics, phytogenic compounds and essential oils, enzymes and organic acids, vaccines and immunostimulants, bacteriophages, and competitive exclusion products. A total of 1230 records were retrieved and imported into Zotero for reference management. After removal of duplicate records using Zotero’s built-in deduplication tool, 377 unique records remained for screening. Overall, these compounds demonstrated variable effects on feed efficiency, weight gain, and gut health. However, most studies were limited in scale, duration, and methodological consistency. As a result, comprehensive comparative trials and large-scale field evaluations are needed to support evidence-based policy recommendations and the sustainable implementation of alternatives to antibiotics in livestock production systems. Our findings identified six major categories that represent the most frequently reported alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Although probiotics, phytogenic, and organic acids were the most extensively studied, substantial heterogeneity in trial design, dosage, and production systems limited meaningful cross-comparisons. In addition, most studies focused on poultry and swine, with comparatively fewer investigations involving ruminant species. This scoping review was not intended to evaluate the efficacy or practical applicability of these alternatives; such assessments require further standardized and extensive studies before recommendations for their widespread application can be made.