About the BEVA Laboratory registration Scheme

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Laboratory Registration Scheme is for the testing of CEMO, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 

Since 1977 the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has produced a regularly updated code of practice for the control of three pathogens that have been associated with true equine venereal disease:

• Taylorella equigenitalis (the contagious equine metritis organism, CEMO)

• Klebsiella pneumoniae
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The code of practice forms the basis of prevention and control of disease caused by these pathogens throughout the horse breeding industries of France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The application of the code of practice has been successful in controlling these diseases in these countries. The Code of Practice can be viewed at codes.hblb.org.uk.

The success of the code of practice requires accurate and efficient laboratory screening and reporting services. For this reason, the HBLB developed a scheme to register laboratories for the purpose of testing for these pathogens. This scheme is now managed by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).

Registered laboratories must meet performance standards in testing Quality Assurance (QA) samples.

On BEVA’s behalf, VETQAS®, the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA’s) independent, accredited, proficiency testing (PT) service, distributes biannual QA samples to Registered Laboratories. A new list of Registered Laboratories is provided following each set of testing.