In France veterinary biology acts are considered as veterinarian acts by the National Board of the Veterinarians*. As a consequence they can only be realized or supervised by veterinarians.
There is no specific veterinarian diploma for Veterinary Biology.
Veterinary laboratory diagnosticians can either work in public or private structures.
In public laboratories
The departmental veterinary laboratories (or “LVD” for Laboratoire Vétérinaire Départemental) of analysis were created to perform firstly the official controls ordered by the Goverment. Transferred to the departmental councils they assure a wide mission of epidemiological surveillance on the French territory in animal health, food hygiene, plant health and sanitary surveillance of the sea products. Their independence, their distribution on the whole territory and technical competences are guarantees of reactivity and expertise regarding sanitary safety. The ADILVA is the French association of veterinary public analysis laboratory managers (
http://www.adilva.com/)
(see article of Dr. Philippe Nicollet published in the Bull. Acad. Vét. France, 2017, 170(4), 196-203 : ENVIRONMENT AND VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH: THE MISSIONS OF THE DEPARTMENTAL LABORATORIES)
The laboratories must be accredited following the norm ISO/CEI 17025 by the French Accreditation Committee (Comité Français d'Accréditation or COFRAC :
https://www.cofrac.fr/) to be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture for official analysis.
During the last years several departments have engaged their laboratory to diverse statutory evolutions: interdepartmental structures, delegation of tasks to private structures… as a consequence, veterinary laboratory diagnosticians can public or private employees.
In private laboratories
Veterinarians have to be registered at the National Board of the Veterinarians, and the laboratories have to be registered too.
Different private laboratory organizations exist: