Animal health laboratories to raise charges

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 25

Animal health laboratories to raise charges

Charges will be imposed from June 1 for testing of specimens from farm animals by Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries animal health laboratories. The income will allow diagnostic services to be improved as recommended by the division’s clients during a recent market survey, the division’s director, Dr Peter O’Hara, has said. “While some people may see the introduction of production animal charging as a move against farmers, the cost recovery exercise extends to all Government departments that provide a service to any Industry.” He said the justification for charging to cover animal health laboratory activities is that an improved diagnostic service will result in savings to farmers through improved disease control. The division’s survey was carried out when Government policy indicated that charging for services was inevitable, Dr O’Hara said. The division has laboratories at Whangarei, Ruakura, Palmerston North, Lincoln and Invermay. Its clients are mainly veterinarians, but ultimately the farmers. They requested a reduction of the time between dispatching specimens to the laboratories and receiving test results back. They wanted an extension service to cover disease control, and greater involvement by the division in preventative medicine. A reduced time for the return of test results and introduction of more specialised tests in line with advances in technology were desired. The improvements are being implemented, Dr O’Hara said. Charges reflect the direct cost to the laboratory network of performing the tests, and over-

heads unrelated to those services are excluded, not charged, he said. “A large number of services we perform are done to satisfy statutory requirements and they are not a charge on our clients.” Veterinarians have details of the charges and can explain them to their farmer clients, Dr O’Hara said. “Because of the different geographical regions we service, each laboratory will be responsible for designing services to meet the regional requirements.” A central laboratory at Wallaceville carries out bulk testing of samples for national disease eradication schemes, testing for animals to be exported and acts as a reference laboratory for the other reginal laboratories.