Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program
The A2LA Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program aligns the criteria of ISO/IEC with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE)
The A2LA Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program was developed to evaluate diagnostic and clinical veterinary laboratories that conduct commercial, government, academic, and international veterinary testing in the following areas including but not limited to:
- Infectious disease diagnostics
- Disease surveillance
- Virology
- Pathology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
The program also covers screening for growth promoters and drug/chemical residue as in the following domains:
- Antibiotics
- Antihelmethetics
- Pesticides
- Metals
- Organics
- DNA/RNA
- GMO
The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) accepts A2LA accreditation within the Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program as part of their approval process for disease surveillance and testing laboratories.
This specialty program is covered by the A2LA chemical and biological fields of testing.
Program Requirements
- ISO/IEC 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories
- World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Quality Standard and Guidelines for Veterinary Laboratories: Infectious Diseases, 2008
- The World Organization for Animal Health formed in 1924 as the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and is still known by the initials of the original organization's name. It is an intergovernmental organization with a mandate from its 172 member countries and territories to improve animal health worldwide. The OIE elaborates standards that ensure the safety of world trade in animals and animal products and also provides standards for animal disease surveillance, prevention, and control methods, including laboratory diagnostic and vaccine quality. The OIE no longer publishes the 2008 standard, however, the requirements are built into A2LA’s C211 - Specific Checklist: Combined ISO/IEC 17025 and Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program checklist and will be made available to applicants once they have purchased ISO/IEC 17025.
- Optional Requirements for the Accreditation of Field Work
- A2LA also offers additional requirements for laboratories performing tests in the field (i.e., at other than a permanent laboratory site).