The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) accepts A2LA accreditation within the Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program as part of their approval process for animal disease surveillance and testing laboratories. The 2018 Farm Bill established the National Animal Disease Preparedness and response Program to boost the nation’s efforts to keep high-consequence animal diseases from entering and spreading in the United States. This program allow the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to colaborate with animal health partners throughout the nation to implement high-value projects that enhance prevention, preparedness, detection, and response to the most damaging emerging and foreign animal diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture.

The goal of A2LA’s Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program is to promote the health of both privately- and commercially-owned animals through the accreditation of veterinary and animal diagnostic testing laboratories. This program was developed to evaluate diagnostic and clinical veterinary laboratories that conduct commercial, government, academic, and international veterinary testing in 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

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
• A2LA R216 – Specific Requirements – Veterinary Laboratory Accreditation Program
• NAHLN Quality Standard - Harmonization of AAVLD and ISO 17025:2017