Source: Chaiyawat / Fotolia

The laboratory sections of the BVL are, on a national level, an important intersection between the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) and the responsible food control laboratories in the federal states. On an international level, they act as an intersection between the European Commission, the European Union Reference Laboratories and the national institutions mentioned above. In this context the BVL is a competent point of contact for questions of residue analysis, method development, quality assurance and antibiotic resistance, as well as a service provider for official residue control laboratories.

The BVL hosts one European Union Reference Laboratory for residues of veterinary drugs and eight National Reference Laboratories for certain residues and contaminants as well as for genetically modified organisms. Moreover the BVL is responsible for publishing the Official Collection of Methods of Analysis according to § 64 Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch (German Food and Feed Act, LFGB), §35 vorläufiges Tabakgesetz (German Preliminary Tobacco Act, VTabakG) and §28b Gentechnikgesetz (German Act on Genetic Engineering, GenTG). The resistance monitoring of pathogenic agents in animals is another task which the laboratories at the BVL are in charge of.

In view of their prominent position within the framework of residue control laboratories, reference laboratories have to be able to prove the quality of their analyses by obtaining the legally prescribed accreditation and by maintaining an internal quality assurance system.

In order to reach uniform standards in food control throughout the European Union, the reference laboratories (National and EU Reference Laboratories) collaborate with the official food control laboratories in a network. Within this network the laboratories inform and support each other.