We had a wonderful time at the Ada Lovelace Day event at Edinburgh Technopole. Over 400 school children participated in workshops held at 8 Pioneer Group locations around the UK. The workshops aimed to inspire the next generation of women science and to amplify women’s presence in STEM, following the legacy of Ada Lovelace.

Well done to our Biobest Team, Ami, Kirsty, Katie and Suzanne, on a hugely successful workshop! The students learnt about different types of cells, both inside the body and the ones we use in our laboratories, and were able to look at different cell types down microscopes. They could then make up their own cell media and loved seeing how the colour changed as different reagents were added.

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did and we can’t wait for next year!

**Update**

Our routine maintenance is nearing completion. Unfortunately some of the maintenance overran which has delayed us slightly. We now hope to resume testing on the 19th of September and will begin working through the backlog of samples. Please contact our office team if you would like to use our rabies express testing to prioritise your samples.

Our rabies laboratory will be closed to allow routine annual maintenance from Friday the 18^th of August. This is our main maintenance shutdown and we expect the laboratory to return to operational status on Friday 15^th September.

Unfortunately, in the run up to this shutdown we have experienced a significant issue with a safety critical piece of plant in our high containment facility. This has prevented us from accessing the unit over the past 10 days and has caused a significant testing backlog. We are pleased to report that our specialist engineering team have worked tirelessly to fix the issue and we are currently setting up tests to clear the backlog of samples prior to our shutdown. The last opportunity for us to set up tests is th 16th of August and we will ensure that as many samples as possible are included on these tests. Any samples not tested will be prioritised when we resume testing on the 15^th of September.

We would like to apologise to any customers who have experienced delays due to these recent issues, unfortunately these were due to factors beyond our control. The FAVN test uses infectious rabies virus and as such this work requires the highest levels of containment. Our highly specialist facility is very complex and the containment requirements make it very difficult and time-consuming to perform even the most basic repairs. Naturally containment of virus and safety have to remain our top priority.

Our dedicated admin team remain available to answers any questions you may have and any further updates will be posted on our website and social media channels.

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway has been set up to support farmers to transition to higher welfare practices, improve biosecurity, tackle antimicrobial resistance and reduce Greenhouse gas emissions by tackling disease and improving productivity.

The difference in profitability between a well run sheep farm and one with health issues is massive and chronic sub-clinical diseases can often be ignored by farmer and professionals alike. Intervention on BVD and worm control can substantially improve farm health, welfare and profitability.

The Pathway Review is intended for farmers with more than 10 cattle, 20 sheep or 50 pigs and includes an annual funded visit from a vet of the farmer’s choosing. This visit includes carrying out diagnostic testing, reviewing biosecurity and use of medicines, and providing bespoke advice in writing.

The Review is currently for England only, however, Scotland has recently launched similar funding in support of farms.

Visit the information page on our website for more details and FAQs 

Our rabies laboratory is now open and testing has resumed today. Samples which have arrived during our shutdown will be tested first followed by any new samples we receive.

Our rabies express service is also available as normal.

Please contact us at [email protected] for any

Important Information – Rabies Testing Unit Temporary Shutdown – Safety Cabinet Installation

We are temporarily shutting down our high containment rabies testing laboratory in order to install
replacement Safety Cabinets. This shutdown is required to ensure our Rabies Testing Unit equipment is operating to the highest standard possible.

All other areas of our business will operate as normal during this period.

The work will start later this month, with a timetable as follows:
19 Apr 23 (Wed) Last tests will be set up.
21 Apr 23 (Fri) Tests from 19 Apr 23 will be read and reported.
Normal testing resumes week beginning 08 May 23 (Exact date subject to engineer service sign off).

This means that no rabies testing will be available for a period of approximately 10 working days. We will ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible to minimise the downtime and service disruptions to our customers. During the shutdown we will post updates on our social media channels to confirm exact re-start dates.

As with previous shutdowns we will clear the testing backlog as quickly as possible to return to normal published timescales. Once the facility returns to normal operations our express service will be available for any urgent samples and all other samples will be processed in order of receipt.

Express Testing will not be available during the shutdown as the unit is closed and no tests can be set up.

If you may require certificates before 21 April 23 we would encourage you to send in samples as soon as possible in order to avoid any disappointment.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information regarding the shutdown.

**UPDATE 03Mar23**

We are pleased to report that our maintenance will be completed earlier than expected and we now intend to resume rabies testing on the 10th of March. As usual the backlog of samples will be tested in order of receipt but our express service will be available for any urgent samples.

We will shortly be shutting down our high containment rabies testing laboratory temporarily in order to complete routine maintenance. This shutdown is required to enable our engineers to gain access to the laboratory for routine servicing of equipment and facilities. This ensures that the laboratory and equipment are maintained to the highest standard. All other areas of our business will operate as normal during this period.

The work will start in February 23, with a timetable as follows:

• 22 Feb 23 (Wed) Last tests will be set up
• 24 Feb 23 (Fri) Tests from 22 Feb 23 will be read and reported.
• Week commencing 20 Mar 23 Normal testing resumes (Exact date subject to engineer service sign off).

This means that for a period of approximately 17 working days, no rabies testing will be available.

We will naturally use our best endeavours to ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible to minimise the downtime and service disruptions to our customers. During the shutdown we will post updates on our social media channels to confirm exact re-start dates.

As with previous shutdowns we will clear the testing backlog as quickly as possible to enable your results to get back to you within our usual normal published timescales. Once the facility returns to normal operations our express service will be available for any urgent samples, all other samples will be processed in order of receipt.

Express Testing will not be available during the shutdown as the unit is closed and no tests can be set up.

If you are aware of any clients that may require certificates before 24 Feb 23 we would encourage you to send in samples as soon as possible in order to avoid any disappointment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information regarding the shutdown.

UPDATE – PUBLISHED 21SEP22

We are pleased to announce that all of the maintenance and upgrade works in our rabies facility are now complete and we will resume testing from today. We will work through the backlog of samples as quickly as possible but for any urgent samples our rabies express service is now available. We would like to apologise for the delay in us resuming testing, this was due to circumstances beyond our control.

UPDATE – PUBLISHED 15SEP22

This year we had an extended shutdown to perform some essential upgrade works and while most of these works have now been completed an issue has been identified with a critical piece of equipment. Due to circumstances beyond our control the repair of this equipment has not yet been completed so we have been unable to restart testing this week as originally planned. Our contractors and engineers are working tirelessly to complete the necessary repairs and we are hopeful that these will be completed on Monday morning. All being well we therefore hope to begin testing the backlog of samples on Monday afternoon.

We will be testing samples in order of receipt and all express samples will be put on the first available test. It may take us 2 – 3 weeks to catch up with testing so new samples received may not have results until mid October.

Please accept our apologies for this additional delay. We will be working to get results to our customers as quickly as possible.

Please check our website regularly for further updates or email us if you have any questions.

We will be shutting down our high containment rabies testing laboratory temporarily in order to complete our routine biannual maintenance. This shutdown is required to enable our engineers to gain access to the laboratory for routine servicing in order to ensure that the laboratory and equipment are maintained to the highest standard.

As well as our routine maintenance we will also be performing some plant upgrades to improve reliability of some of our safety critical equipment. This additional work will mean the shutdown period will be slightly longer than normal, however it will mean our rabies service will be even more reliable moving forward.

All other areas of our business will operate as normal during this period.

This work will start in August 2022 with a timetable as follows:

15 Aug 22 (Mon) Last tests will be set up
17 Aug 22 (Wed) Tests from 15 Aug 22 will be read and reported.
Week of 12 Sep 22 Normal testing resumes (Exact date subject to engineer service sign off).
19 Sep 22 (Mon) First results will be reported.

This means that for a period of approximately one month, no rabies testing will be available. We will naturally use our best endeavours to ensure the upgrade works are completed as quickly as possible in order to minimise the downtime and service disruptions to our customers. During the shutdown we will post updates on our social media channels to confirm exact re-start dates. 

As with previous shutdowns we will clear the testing backlog as quickly as possible to ensure your results get back to you within our normal published timescales. Once the facility returns to normal operations our express service will be available for any urgent samples, all other samples will be processed in order or receipt.

Express testing will not be available during the shutdown as the unit is closed and no tests can be set up.

If you are aware of any clients that may require certificates before 19 Sep 22 we would encourage you to send in samples as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] if you require any further information regarding the shutdown.

We have a fantastic opportunity for our farm clients who may be attending the National Youngstock Conference 2022 – use the code VPyoungstock22 to get £10 discount on the £35 ticket. 

Click Here for more info.

National Youngstock Conference

Harper Adams University – 27^th July 2022

The calf rearing period is the most crucial time for any livestock system, with success in later life being greatly determined by the inputs and management of the new-born calf. Research has shown that the way an animal is managed and how it performs during its first few months of life will affect how well it performs later, be that as milk production in the dairy sector or as finishing performance for beef animals.

The National Youngstock Conference (NYC) is set to provide practical advice on the key areas of calf management and help support dairy and beef producers to optimise calf, welfare, and growth to ensure lifetime productivity. This is a one-day event, held at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, 9.00am – 4.30pm. VetPartners has 2 vets speaking at this event.