New Online Rabies Submission Form – Launching Today!

We are excited to announce the launch of our new online rabies submission form, created to make the testing process faster, easier and more convenient for both customers and veterinary professionals. Our online form streamlines the way you submit rabies samples, allowing you to complete all required information quickly from any device while reducing the chance of missing or unclear details.

All data entered into the form is automatically imported into our Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), eliminating the need for manual transcription and significantly reducing the risk of errors. Reports generated from these submissions will also feature secure QR codes, making it easier for importing authorities to verify the authenticity of your certification.

As soon as your test results are ready, an electronic report will be emailed directly to you. Depending on the requirements of the country you are travelling to, this digital version may be accepted by import authorities, and the hard copy certificate will also be sent in the usual manner.

Find it on our website at www.biobest.co.uk/rabies_submission_form_page 

Update 29th October 2025

We are pleased to announce that our rabies laboratory is now operational and testing has resumed. We are currently working through the backlog of samples and the first set of results should be available on Friday, 31st October. Once again we would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the extended shutdown which was necessary to update essential equipment.

Update 21  October 2025

I am very sorry to report that during the final stages of commissioning of the Rabies Testing Laboratory at the end of last week we have discovered some significant issues with the new Air Handling system which require further work. We are discussing urgently with our consulting engineers and contractors but at the present time it does not look likely that we will be able to get back inside the rabies testing laboratory this week.

We do understand that this impinges on travel plans and it is deeply frustrating for us and a major inconvenience for you, our customers. Please be assured we are doing everything we can to re-open and as soon as we have more information we will let you know.

We will be performing upcoming routine maintenance in our rabies testing facility in September. This is required to ensure that safety critical equipment within the facility is operating to the highest possible standards.

This maintenance will take place with a timetable as follows:

03Sep25 – Final tests will be set up. We will ensure that all samples received by this date will be tested.

05Sep25 – Tests from 03Sep25 will be read and reported.

04Sep25 to 10Oct25 – NO TESTING AVAILABLE

10Oct25 – Expected date for normal testing to resume. However this may change due to circumstances outwith our control.

13Oct25 – First results expected to be reported

This means that no rabies testing (including express) will be available for a period of approximately 17 working days. We will ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible to minimise the downtime and service disruptions to our customers. During this period we will post regular updates on our website & social media channels to confirm exact re-start dates.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our dedicated rabies team at 0131 440 2628 or via email at enquiry@biobest.co.uk.

Thank you for your understanding and support during this maintenance period.

Check out our recent newsletter below for info on CHECS changes, Bluetongue updates, recent sales and events and more!

Summer Newsletter 2025

We were informed late on Friday that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is currently not accepting rabies certificates issued by Biobest for entry into Japan. This decision follows recent discussions between MAFF and the Scottish Government and relates to the period of our extended shutdown, during which we operated in collaboration with other high-containment facilities.

As soon as we became aware of the situation, we engaged with the Scottish Government, who are now in direct communication with MAFF to address their concerns and seek the reinstatement of our rabies testing recognition for Japan.

We are doing everything possible to resolve this issue promptly. If you have an urgent case, please contact us directly. In certain circumstances, we may be able to provide MAFF with additional information or perform supplementary testing to support entry — however, this will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding. We will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.

We are delighted to announce that our rabies testing laboratory is now fully operational again following the successful completion of our significant upgrade works. Routine rabies testing services will resume from the 9th of June 2025. We will be testing samples received during the upgrade in order of receipt and expect an initial turnaround time of 7-10 days.

We understand how disruptive this extended closure has been, and we are committed to supporting our customers as we reopen. To help prioritise urgent cases we are offering our ‘Rabies Express’ service at half price (£357.50) until the 31^st of August 2025. Our standard testing prices remain at £88 for UK customers and £95 for overseas customers.

“We truly appreciate our customers patience and understanding during this time,” said Stuart Marshall, Biobest COO. “These critical upgrades, including a new effluent treatment plant, allow us to maintain the highest containment levels which are required for rabies testing. More importantly, they strengthen our ability to deliver a reliable, high-quality service with minimal future downtime.”

Meet the Team Behind the Service

As we reopen, we are also excited to introduce key members of our rabies testing team:

• Kirsty Martin has been appointed as our Rabies Testing Supervisor. She will lead our routine testing operations and ensure we continue to meet our turnaround commitments.
• Jennifer Bunyan, our Lab Operations and Project Manager, now oversees the daily operational management of the high containment lab.

Both Jennifer and Kirsty were proud to participate in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting marking the reopening of the facility.

“It’s fantastic to see the lab up and running again,” said Kirsty. “We know this has been a difficult time for many of our customers, and I’m excited to get back to helping you move your pets around the world.”

“These upgrades have been a huge team effort,” added Jennifer. “Our lab is now equipped with state-of-the-art containment systems, among the best in the industry, which will help us offer the highest standard of testing and customer service.”

We are also pleased to confirm that our core rabies administration team, led by Lynne remains unchanged and ready to welcome you back. For any queries or to discuss urgent testing needs, you can contact us on +44 131 440 2628 or via e-mail.

Thank you once again for your continued support. We look forward to working with you again soon.

UPDATE 30May25:

As you know, we have undertaken major upgrades to the laboratory’s effluent treatment plant (ETP) over the past few months. We are pleased to confirm that the validation of this new equipment is now complete. However, as part of the final safety requirements, we must successfully demonstrate the ability to safely fumigate the area housing the ETP.

Unfortunately, this fumigation testing has not yet passed, despite several attempts. We believe we have now identified and addressed the underlying issues, and another validation fumigation is scheduled for this weekend. The results of this validation will take up to one week to process, and we will provide a further update towards the end of next week.

In the meantime, we are continuing to process rabies samples from customers based in the UK and EU as normal. For customers outside the EU, we have maintained access to testing through our overseas agent—please contact us directly for further details on how to proceed.

We sincerely apologise for the ongoing disruption and thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Restoring full service remains our highest priority, and we will keep you informed of any significant developments.

We wish to inform our customers of an upcoming temporary shutdown of our rabies testing facility. The laboratory, a state-of-the-art high-containment facility, requires significant upgrades to its effluent treatment plant in order to maintain the highest safety standards. Due to the critical nature of this equipment, we must close the facility for the duration of these works.

To minimise any disruption, we have scheduled this closure over the festive period, the quietest time of year for testing. The laboratory will formally shut down on November 29th, with work commencing on December 2nd. The last tests prior to shutdown will be set up on November 27th. We will make every effort to complete all samples received on or before this date.

This major upgrade is expected to take up to 15 weeks. To expedite the process, our engineering team will be working extended hours, including weekends. We are also exploring options to operate with limited capacity during the upgrade period, but please be aware that rabies testing may not be possible for the full duration.

We will provide ongoing updates through our website, social media channels, and email. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our dedicated rabies team at 0131 440 2628 or via email.

Attention April/May lambing flocks!

Biobest is offering a reduced cost for pre-lambing ewe profiles until end of April 2025.

Now £7.50/ewe where more than 5 samples are submitted.

This profile includes: Albumin, Urea and Beta Hydroxybutyrate, which are used to check that ewes energy and protein requirements are being met in the run up to lambing.

Ewes should be sampled 3-4 weeks prior to lambing to allow sufficient time to make any necessary changes to the diet.

Please contact us if you would like more information: enquiry@biobest.co.uk or +44 (0)131 440 2628

We are pleased to announce that arrangements have been made which will allow us to offer a limited rabies testing service during the upcoming maintenance shutdown of our laboratory. We are in the process of  finalising the logistics for this and will confirm details shortly.

Please note that turnaround times are expected to be longer than usual during this period. However, we remain committed to minimising any inconvenience to our customers. Unfortunately, our rabies express service will not be available during the shutdown, meaning that all samples will be tested in the order they are received.

This service will only be available to our UK and EU based customers. For customers outside these regions, we are actively exploring alternative options and again will share updates as soon as possible.

We appreciate the major inconvenience that these essential upgrade works will cause our customers and we appreciate your patience while we have been arranging alternatives.

Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further updates.