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Animal feed testing

APHA Scientific offers a comprehensive testing service to support the exisiting quality monitoring of animal feed and to provide reassurance on the integrity of rations and feed ingredients.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has been linked to the feeding of mammalian meat and bonemeal to cattle. As a result, legislation was introduced to ban the feeding of some processed animal proteins (PAPs) to animals to act as an important control measure to prevent the spread of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).

APHA is the UK National Reference Laboratory for animal protein detection in feedstuffs and provides testing services for Defra’s National Feed Audit.

Diagnostic tests

Animal feed testing image

We offer several diagnostic tests:

External Quality Assurance

If you carry out animal feed testing at your laboratory, APHA’s independent quality assurance unit, Vetqas, can provide proficiency testing/external quality assurance (PT/EQA) schemes for MAT and PCR procedures.

These schemes provide the necessary evidence to prove that your tests meet third party accreditation quality standards. Positive samples used in these two schemes are either bovine, ovine, porcine or avian meat and bonemeal. They are formulated using typical compound feed ingredients.

For further information please contact our Laboratory Services Team

Tel:  +44 (0)20 802 69571 (please note there is no fax facility)
Email: FeedAnalysisWeybridge@apha.gov.uk
Address: Feed Analysis Team,APHA Weybridge,Bld 97, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB

Page last modified: 15 August, 2022