Laboratory accreditation

Yes, ISO 17025 is generally the most appropriate standard for veterinary testing laboratories to develop and implement.  If however, a laboratory performs human medical and veterinary diagnostic testing, e.g. infectious diseases that can be spread from animals to humans, they could choose ISO 15189 (which is based on ISO 17025). 

The intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide, The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE), require veterinary testing laboratories to design and maintain an appropriate quality management system, irrespective of any requirement for formal accreditation. National legislation and regulatory body policies will regulate the need for accreditation, which is mandatory for laboratories that conduct tests for infectious animal diseases. Veterinary testing laboratory accreditation bodies align their requirements for accreditation with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) standard “Management and Technical Requirements”, as it contains the specific requirements unique to veterinary testing laboratories.

The following articles may be of interest:

• Six key benefits of ISO 17025 implementation - https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2019/10/18/six-key-benefits-of-iso-17025-implementation/
• Maintaining and improving quality management in laboratories according to ISO 17025:2017 -https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2019/08/30/iso-17025-maintenance-and-improvement-in-laboratories/

For some useful tools for planning ISO 17025 accreditation, have a look at:

• Project Plan for ISO/IEC 17025 implementation - https://info.advisera.com/17025academy/free-download/project-plan-for-iso-17025-implementation
• Checklist of ISO 17025 implementation steps - https://advisera.com/17025academy/blog/2019/08/28/checklist-of-iso-17025-implementation-steps/