ISDA animal health lab joins national diagnostic network

ISDA animal health lab joins national diagnostic network

Published 12:30 pm Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture Animal Health Laboratory has been accepted as a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, a designation that state officials expect will benefit the state’s dairy and cattle industries.

NAHLN is a nationally coordinated system of over 60 federal, state and university-affiliated laboratories.

The network of animal disease diagnostic laboratories provides ongoing disease surveillance, responds quickly to disease events, communicates diagnostic outcomes to decision makers, and has the capability and capacity to meet diagnostic needs during animal disease outbreaks, according to the organization.

The Idaho lab in June passed a NAHLN audit by USDA following several years of preparation and the opening of the new facility in late 2022. The recognition represents an advancement in Idaho’s animal disease diagnostic capabilities and highlights the state’s commitment to protecting animal health and agriculture, according to an ISDA news release.

“Being part of the NAHLN is a major step forward for Idaho,” ISDA director Chanel Tewalt said. “It reflects our commitment to providing essential animal health services right here at home, because no one cares more about Idaho agriculture than Idaho.” The designation “means faster answers for producers, efficient responses to disease outbreaks and a stronger, more secure future for our agricultural industry backed by in-state expertise.”

As a network member, the state lab can do more, according to the department. For example, the certification means the lab is authorized to conduct avian influenza testing on milk samples collected in Idaho. These samples previously had to be sent to out-of-state laboratories, often delaying test results and response times.

“In coming weeks, we expect to be able to test in-house for avian influenza in poultry, and for avian Newcastle Disease in poultry,” ISDA public information officer Sydney Kennedy told Capital Press.

NAHLN membership also means the lab — the first in the state to earn the designation — is eligible for increased federal funding to support operations and further development, according to the release.

Since the department opened the animal health lab on its east Boise campus to replace outdated quarters and accommodate growth, testing for trichomoniasis in resident male cattle, and for brucellosis in cattle and some other livestock, has expanded and improved, ISDA officials said during a facility tour July 29. The lab this year has started testing water samples for invasive quagga mussels, to reduce reliance on out-of-state labs.

Idaho lab detail: