Directorate for National Reference Laboratories launched

Directorate for National Reference Laboratories launched

The construction and renovation of facilities at the DNRL complex in Belgrade’s suburb of Batajnica, its equipment and training of employees, has taken EUR 8 million from the European Union pre-accession funds.

Besides its role in the food-related health and safety protection, the DNRL is also there to protect Serbia’s key economic interests in the production of and trade in food and food products.

The DNRL project was begun in Serbia ten years ago, and the first lab to start work is the phytosanitary one, which will be testing and issuing certificates for plants, seeds and seedlings.

The laboratory is now fully equipped and its chemical laboratory for testing the quality of fresh milk should start work no later than the end of this year, and the laboratory for physical and chemical tests of food for human consumption and animal feed of plant and mixed origin after it.

The opening of the Directorate for National Reference Laboratories was attended by Minister of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Snezana Boskovic-Bogosavljevic, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development Srdjan Verbic and Minister without Portfolio in charge of European integration Jadranka Joksimovic.

Bogosavljevic-Boskovic said that Serbia now had an independent and reliable food control system with the greatest level of accuracy that can be obtained through comprehensive quality control.

She said that the establishment of such a food safety control system was part of Serbia’s obligations in the European integration process.

Davenport said that under European and international standards, a consolidated network of laboratories was a vital element of a food control system.

Joksimovic said that the start of work of the reference laboratory was important for Serbia’s agriculture ahead of EU accession, as was the relocation of the Administration for Agricultural Payments from Sabac to Belgrade to ease access to IPARD funds.