Wales is set to boost its animal disease testing capacity as the Welsh government invests in plans to establish a specialist diagnostic centre at Aberystwyth University — the first of its kind in the country.
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies today confirmed £265,000 of government funding to begin the process of designating the university as Wales’s first high-throughput testing site for notifiable animal diseases, including bluetongue.
At present, all such samples from Welsh farms must be sent to laboratories outside the country, a process that slows diagnostic turnaround during outbreaks.
High-throughput testing will allow far larger volumes of samples to be processed quickly, helping officials identify disease spread earlier and issue movement restrictions or advice to farmers without delay.
The investment comes after a period of heightened disease pressure in Wales and neighbouring regions, including recent bluetongue detections in the UK and repeated avian influenza incidents in recent winters. The new facility will operate from VetHub1, which houses secure containment labs capable of handling high-risk pathogens.
Irranca-Davies said he was “delighted to announce this funding which will begin building more resilience in our animal disease testing”, adding that recent experiences with bluetongue and avian influenza had shown how “enhanced capacity is crucial as we tackle future disease threats”.
Aberystwyth University is currently the only institution in Wales with the infrastructure to carry out this type of diagnostic work. Professor Iain Barber, pro vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Sciences, said the funding would support an important early-stage scoping exercise.
"While this is an early stage in the process, it lays the groundwork for a facility that could play a vital role in protecting livestock and supporting biosecurity in the future,” he said.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Vikki Howells said the development reflects the university’s growing strength in veterinary science. “This centre will support and work closely with our farming communities, demonstrating how funding our universities delivers real benefits for Wales,” she said.
Once designated, the facility will be able to carry out fully accredited testing under UKAS and Specified Animal Pathogens Order standards. The project is also expected to create skilled jobs and strengthen Wales’s contribution to UK-wide biosecurity.
