Additional laboratory services available to Southwest Virginia livestock producers

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Lincoln Memorial University Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine announced a partnership today to launch an additional laboratory service for Southwest Virginia livestock producers.

This partnership enables veterinarians to perform on-farm necropsies on deceased livestock and poultry and submit tissue samples to the VDACS’ Regional Animal Health Laboratory in Wytheville for testing.

This new service is in addition to the necropsy and testing that is already performed at the Wytheville RAHL. Samples may also be tested at the other VDACS’ RAHLs in Lynchburg, Warrenton and Harrisonburg.

“This partnership provides a new low-cost field necropsy option to ensure producers and veterinarians in the western most portion of Virginia have access to animal health diagnostics. I would like to thank Dr. Stacy Anderson and everyone at LMU-CVM for their collaboration on this very important initiative,” said Joseph Guthrie, VDACS Commissioner. “During the recent laboratory listening sessions, we heard the needs of producers very clearly. This alliance and additional service strengthens the VDACS lab system and demonstrates our focus on the need for food animal necropsies in Southwest Virginia.”

Today’s announcement provides livestock farmers with operations in, but not limited to, Lee, Scott, Wise, Dickenson, Buchanan, Russell and Washington counties an additional option for disease surveillance and support for owner herd health plans.

While the Wytheville RAHL will continue to perform necropsies, the new service enables livestock producers to eliminate the time and transportation cost of traveling to Wytheville.

In addition, performing field necropsies adds to the veterinary curriculum of LMU-CVM.

“In addition to serving the local community, this partnership expands the classroom experience by providing our veterinary students with valuable field experience,” said Dr. Stacy Anderson, LMU-CVM Dean. “Partnerships such as this help to ensure the work force readiness of our veterinary graduates.”