The National Veterinary
Laboratory opened its doors in the late 50's to support the Brucella eradication programme by
conducting surveillance on milking herds and milk. At the time, Brucellosis was also referred to
as Malta fever. Prevalence was high in
Malta due to lack of controls together with high consumption of unpasteurised
goat milk.
Established according to
the requirements of part II of CAP 437 of the Veterinary Services Act, the
laboratory forms part of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries
and Animal Rights. The laboratory falls
under the remit of the Animal Health and Welfare Department (AHWD) within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights.
Ever since, the laboratory
continued to widen its testing capabilities and keeps abreast with current
issues and emerging animal and zoonotic diseases through collaboration with
various European, National and EU Reference laboratories and any other
agency as deemed necessary. The laboratory achieved its accreditation status in 2015.
Vision
and Strategic Direction
To be primarily a
Public National Veterinary Laboratory enjoying National Reference Laboratory
status, providing laboratory service and support to the Veterinary Regulation
in accordance to obligations and requirements in National and EU Legislation.
Quality Policy Statement
The NVL is committed to
provide impartial, confidential, timely and accurate testing services to its
customers in accordance with stated methods and customer requirements and in
compliance with the requirements established by ISO/IEC 17025 and the National Accreditation Board – Malta (NAB-Malta) with respect to test methods that are
included within the Accreditation Scope.
This is achieved through NVL’s managerial and technical personnel who
continuously strive to meet or exceed the stated or implied expectations of
their customers through the implementation of the relevant quality policies and
procedures. The management is committed
to good professional practice and to continually improving the effectiveness of
the management system.
Roles
of the National Veterinary Laboratory
The
laboratory works to safeguard both animal and public health by providing
laboratory support to various units within the Veterinary Regulation
Directorate. Its major role is the
control of food safety in primary production of food of animal origin. Samples reaching the laboratory form part of
national surveillance plans, imports from border inspection posts, surveys or
suspects. The laboratory conducts
testing activities to target different surveillance programmes:
- Animal
Disease Surveillance such as Enzootic Bovine Leucosis, Foot and
Mouth, Avian Influenza and Bluetongue
- Food
Health Surveillance such as Trichinella and Transmissible
Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE).
- Zoonotic
Disease Surveillance such as Brucella and Salmonella
- Veterinary
Drug Residue Surveillance such as antimicrobials, growth
promoters and contaminants in foods of animal origin.
- Antibiotic
Resistance
The laboratory also fulfills
the role of National Reference Laboratory for various test areas.
ISO
17025 accreditation
In 2015, the National Veterinary
Laboratory achieved accreditation according to ISO 17025. Being ISO 17025 accredited, the National
Veterinary Laboratory undergoes annual assessments to ensure that the lab adhers
to ISO requirements. All personnel
working at the laboratory are fully trained to be technically competent in the
relevant test areas.
Sections
within the National Veterinary Laboratory
A variety of tests are
performed at the National Veterinary Laboratory. Testing activities fall within three main
sections:
Chemistry
Microbiology
Animal Disease
Surveillance & Parasitology