State supervision programs and monitoring

Execution of Laboratory Testing for State Surveillance Programs

By conducting sample collection and laboratory-diagnostic testing, the Institute “BIOR” plays a crucial role in the state surveillance system for food circulation and animal infectious diseases. Since 1940, “BIOR” laboratories have been diagnosing animal infectious diseases and performing laboratory testing of animal feed. As the national food surveillance system evolved, food product control was also introduced, along with laboratory testing related to the environment, sanitary hygiene, veterinary medicines, pharmaceutical products, and the circulation of animal and plant-based food products. Since 2006, the institute has also conducted examinations in bacterial infectious disease outbreaks and microbiological diagnostic analyses of human diseases.

According to Latvian legislation (Food Surveillance Law, Veterinary Medicine Law, and Genetically Modified Organisms Circulation Law), the Institute “BIOR” has been designated as the national official control laboratory. To successfully and efficiently fulfill its state-delegated function, “BIOR” laboratories must meet strict criteria—they must be accredited, apply correct, precise, and reliable testing methods, and ensure that measurement uncertainty is assessed for all quantitative analyses. This guarantees a high level of reliability in test results and strengthens the credibility of the entire national official surveillance system.

State Surveillance and Control Programs Implemented by the Food and Veterinary Service in 2024

Animal Health Surveillance

1. African swine fever surveillance
2. Classical swine fever surveillance
3. Avian influenza surveillance
4. Rabies surveillance
5. Sheep and goat brucellosis surveillance
6. Bovine brucellosis surveillance
7. Bluetongue virus surveillance
8. Aquaculture animal infectious disease surveillance
9. Unplanned incident control

Food and Animal Feed Safety Surveillance

1. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) surveillance (BSE, scrapie)
2. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance
3. Salmonella control
4. Listeria monocytogenes surveillance
5. Verotoxigenic E. coli surveillance
6. Food product surveillance (fraud detection)
7. Radiation safety control
8. Residue control
9. Control of food products imported into the European Union
10. Laboratory control program for food business operators
11. Food contaminant laboratory control
12. Pesticide residue control in food products
13. Migration control of substances from food contact materials and articles
14. Control of food contact materials and articles imported into the European Union
15. Genetically modified organism (GMO) surveillance
16. Export control
17. Animal feed circulation control
18. Unplanned incident control program
19. Acrylamide concentration control in food products
20. Dietary supplements control program
21. Food quality and labeling control program