The fields of activity, the content of the activities, and the obligation to designate national reference laboratories derive from Regulation (EU) No 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council. European Union Member States must designate a national reference laboratory for each EU reference laboratory referred to in the regulation.
The main objective of the activities of the national reference laboratories is to ensure the reliability and comparability of the research results of the official laboratories operating in the field at both the national and international level.
A national reference laboratory:
- cooperates with the European Union Reference Laboratory in the same field by participating in the work meetings, training courses, and international proficiency tests organised by it;
- organises proficiency tests for official laboratories as necessary and ensures the appropriate follow-up measures;
- instructs official laboratories in issues related to their operations, documentation, equipment, ensuring the compliance of the analysis techniques, training their employees, etc.;
- advises competent authorities and cooperates in drawing up monitoring and control plans;
- ensures the transmission of information received from the European Union Reference Laboratory to the competent authorities and official laboratories;
- assist the competent authority in characterising pathogens and identifying their transmission paths (further characterisation of pathogens).
If necessary, the centre organises round tables for the laboratories involved in laboratory analyses, as well as representatives of the Agriculture and Food Board, the Health Board, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, and other stakeholders. Representatives of the centre have also been invited to speak as lecturers at various different training days or conferences.
In addition to the aforementioned fields, LABRIS also operates as the reference laboratory in the field of determining the water content of poultrymeat on the basis of Commission Regulation (EU) No 543/2008.
Authorisations of LABRIS as the reference laboratory in the field of food and feed safety:
Based on § 53 subsection 3 of the Food Act, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has designated the National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment as a national reference laboratory in the following fields:
|
No. |
Field |
EU reference laboratory |
Contacts of the national reference laboratory |
|
1 |
Zoonoses (salmonella) |
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) |
Bacteriology-pathology department |
|
2 |
Listeria monocytogenes |
Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) |
Microbiology department |
|
3 |
Coagulase-positive staphylococci, incl. Staphylococcus aureus |
Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) |
Microbiology department |
|
4 |
Escherichia coli |
Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) |
Microbiology department |
|
5 |
Campylobacter spp. |
Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt (SVA) |
Microbiology department |
|
6 |
Parasites (incl. Trichinella spp., Anisakidae, Echinococcus spp.) |
Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) |
Bacteriology-pathology department |
|
7 |
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) |
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) |
Bacteriology-pathology department |
|
8 |
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies |
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta (IZSTO) |
Virology-serology department |
|
9 |
Metals and nitrogen compounds |
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) |
Department of instrumental analysis |
|
10 |
Residues of veterinary drugs in food products of animal origin |
Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (BVL) |
Department of instrumental analysis |
|
11 |
Mycotoxins |
Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) |
Tallinn department |
|
12 |
Pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables, incl. in products with a high water content and high acid concentration, cereals, and for the single residue method in materials of plant-based origin |
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) Laboratorio Agroalimentario de la Generalitat Valenciana (LAGV) Chemische und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt (CVUA) |
Tallinn department |
Based on § 32 subsection 2 of the Feed Act, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has designated the National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment as a national reference laboratory in the following fields:
|
No. |
Field |
EU reference laboratory |
Contacts of the national reference laboratory |
|
1 |
Zoonoses (salmonella) |
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) |
Bacteriology-pathology department |
|
2 |
Listeria monocytogenes |
Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) |
Microbiology department |
|
3 |
Coagulase-positive staphylococci, incl. Staphylococcus aureus |
Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) |
Microbiology department |
|
4 |
Escherichia coli |
Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) |
Microbiology department |
|
5 |
Campylobacter spp. |
Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt (SVA) |
Microbiology department |
|
6 |
Animal proteins in feed |
Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques (CRA-W) |
Bacteriology-pathology department |
|
7 |
Metals |
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) |
Department of instrumental analysis |
|
8 |
Pesticide residues |
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) |
Tallinn department |
|
9 |
Mycotoxins |
Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) |
Tallinn department |
Under Commission Regulation (EC) No 543/2008, which establishes detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 on marketing standards for certain poultry meat, the National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment has been designated to act as a reference laboratory:
|
No. |
Field |
EU reference laboratory |
Contacts of the national reference laboratory |
|
1 |
Water concentration of poultrymeat |
The expert committee supervising the water concentration of poultrymeat operating by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) |
Department of chemistry |
Last updated: 22.10.2024
