FROM THE STATE VET’S OFFICE
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System
Several years ago, I wrote in an article that I believe that the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is the crown jewel of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. I mean no disrespect for any of the other divisions or sections of the Department, but the state-of-the-art equipment, the variety of testing and the broad support to animal agriculture, and the veterinary community certainly, in my mind, give it crown jewel status. Recently, our Auburn lab made the list of Level 1 NAHLN (National Animal Health Laboratory Network) Laboratories. There are 26 NAHLN Level 1 Labs in 19 states; six are regional labs in a state with a NAHLN Level 1 Lab. To earn the Level 1 designation is not easy. It requires performing complex testing, performing proficiency testing for the staff, having a quality assurance system and upholding other strict requirements set 16
Cooperative Farming News
forth by NAHLN. The NAHLN, in partnership with the USDA reference lab, perform specific tests for diseases of concern that could have a negative impact on our livestock and poultry. This speeds our early detection, response and recovery from animal health diseases like low pathogenic avian influenza, CWD in deer and even the bad ones like foot-and-mouth disease. This network of labs nationwide allows us to test large numbers of samples for these diseases that would likely overwhelm a lab trying to go it on their own. I am truly proud of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab system and how it supports animal agriculture in the state of Alabama. The system consists of the Auburn Laboratory, the “mother ship,” that I mentioned above, along with three branch labs located in Boaz, Elba and Hanceville. Over the years, the laboratory system has played a significant role in the success of both the cat-
