Organisation
The National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment (LABRIS) is administered and within the area of governance of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture. The centre is located in Tartu, and also includes regional laboratories in Tallinn and Saaremaa. All the centre’s laboratories are accredited by the Estonian Accreditation Centre and comply with the requirements of EVS-EN ISO/IEC 17025.
The National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment has been established on the basis of the Veterinary and Food Laboratory and is its legal successor.
The centre was established with an order by the Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, and has been operating under this name since 1 January 2023.
Service for the public sector. The National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment offers services to the public sector in the areas of food, feed safety and animal health and provides risk assessments throughout of the food chain. The service includes:
- laboratory tests performed in the framework of national monitoring and control programs;
- laboratory tests performed during official controls and other official activities;
- ensuring preparedness for the fast diagnosis of a category A diseases and certain emerging animal diseases (incl. solving disease outbreaks);
- ensuring preparedness for providing fast diagnosis of food-borne disease outbreaks as well as the characterisation of the pathogens (incl. solving cases related to human disease outbreaks);
- providing risk assessments;
- performing the functions of a national reference laboratory.
Service for the private sector. The National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment offers a broad list of laboratory services in the aeras of food and feed safety and animal health primarily for fulfilling the requirements of self-regulation and ensuring animal health.
Co-operation with universities and other research institutions. The National Centre for Laboratory Research and Risk Assessment participates in research and development activities, and collaborates with both domestic and international partners for this purpose.
