Setting science-based priorities

Risk prioritisation is a highly complex process starting from expert elicitation to advanced analytical methods to aggregate expert opinion and finally translating results into meaningful outputs for risk managers and decision makers.  To support Dairy NZ’s ambitions for improved biosecurity risk prioritisation we worked with our network of international experts to develop state-of-the art methods, which we jointly published in a peer-reviewed journal to ensure they pass external scrutiny.

To support the successful operationalisation of the risk framework we made sure that all results can be quickly accessed by risk managers,  communicated to decision-makers in an easy to understand way, and are supported by branded visuals like comparative graphs or charts.

D-BRiEF is a collaborative and interdisciplinary expert-driven framework that examines the biosecurity risks posed by different animal diseases, pest plants and insect pests. To achieve this, we had to unite experts from different backgrounds to create a joint opinion on for example the likely spread of pest organisms and expected impacts, should they arrive in the country.

Engaging stakeholders, including farmers, was key to the project’s success. We provided additional science communication materials such as explanatory videos and infographics to support Dairy NZ in this important process.