USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is looking to simplify the process for animal diagnostic labs to perform important livestock disease testing. The agency is proposing an update to the regulations that dictate how laboratories are approved to perform official testing and how those agencies remain approved. The proposed rule is available for public comment through Monday, July 29.
The details for the approval processes are currently listed in disease-specific sections throughout the animal health regulations and vary by disease. The proposed change would establish a single, user-friendly process for laboratory approval and consolidate the existing regulations into one location. The consolidation would provide more consistent inspection protocols, proficiency testing methods, system guidelines and definitions. The proposed change would also facilitate the approval of additional laboratories in emergency situations, as well as simplify regulatory oversight and compliance.
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