Order No. 574 on veterinary laboratories and officially designated laboratories.

This Order sets requirements for veterinary laboratories and officially designated laboratories that examine veterinary samples, including laboratories designated under EU official-control rules and veterinary laboratories covered by the Danish Act on Veterinarians. It applies to laboratories testing for both notifiable and non-notifiable infectious animal diseases, but excludes veterinarians who only analyse samples from animals linked to their own practice, referred patients or on-call work. Veterinary laboratories must perform at least one individual analysis or group of analyses and be accredited under EN ISO/IEC 17025 by DANAK or an equivalent recognised accreditation body; analyses for notifiable animal diseases must also be accredited. Applications for approval must be submitted to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration with laboratory, accreditation-body and analysis documentation. Officially designated laboratories must register key sample information, including the legal basis for sampling, CHR herd number or animal-owner details, and animal species. Laboratories must immediately notify the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration of suspected or confirmed infectious animal diseases not previously detected in Denmark, send samples for confirmatory testing when instructed, and assist with sample submission for monitoring of zoonoses and resistance. The Order also regulates notification of accreditation changes, storage of accreditation reports, withdrawal of approval, publication of lists of approved and designated laboratories, and penalties including possible imprisonment for serious breaches.