Our specialisms

• Soil health, plant nutrition, plant health and plant varieties:
  • Testing and analysis of soils and substrates (including nutrient recommendations), fertilisers and plant (parts)
  • Conformity assessment body for EU fertiliser products
  • Examination and assessment as part of the enforcement of the Fertiliser, Plant Protection and Seed Act (Plant Variety Regulation)
  • Technical processing of fertiliser and variety approvals (including the Descriptive List of Varieties) on behalf of the BAES
  • Monitoring and warning service activities, diagnosis and identification of phytosanitary and other economically significant harmful organisms including invasive species
• Carrying out exact agricultural trials in the field and in protected cultivation
• Cultivation of cannabis plants in accordance with the Narcotic Drugs Act for drug production and associated scientific purposes
• Practical research in national and international projects (in particular soils as a basis for agricultural production, sustainable plant cultivation, integrated plant protection, climate change adaptation, security of supply, tissue culture)
• Committee activities at national and international level

Reference laboratories

• European reference laboratory for insects and mites
• National reference laboratory for insects and mites
• National reference laboratory for nematodes
• National reference laboratory for bacteria
• National Reference Laboratory for Fungi and Egg Fungi
• National reference laboratory for viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas

Our focus

• Risk assessment of plant protection products on national level
• Risk assessment of plant protection product active substances on EU level
• Support of the national monitoring authority (Federal Office for Food Safety)
• Cooperation with national and international organizations, working groups and committees
• Collaboration in the preparation of guidance documents, legal standards, EC directives and regulations as well as OECD guidelines in the field of plant protection products
• Collaboration in the preparation of guidelines on integrated crop production and plant protection
• Technical advice to authorities and ministries

Our focus

• Support of national authorities in the implementation of the seed law including the GMO seed law
• Applied research within national and international research projects on
  • Beekeeping and bee protection
  • Seed and planting material (e.g. new breeding techniques)
  • Plant protection
  • Plant genetic resources
• Monitoring the GMO-free status of seeds in Austria
• Management of the organic database for plant propagation material
• Private-sector services such as information databases on plant genetic resources, pollen and organic seed; studies of seed and planting material, bee health and bee products; expert opinions

Our main focus

• Answering technical and legal questions within the scope of the national and European feed law, the Marketing Standards Act and the IUU Fisheries Regulation
• Expert opinion and risk assessment in the course of the enforcement of the Feed Law, the Marketing Standards Act and the IUU Fisheries Regulation
• Administrative support in the registration of feed businesses on behalf of the Federal Office for Food Security
• Technical trainings
• Analytical tests in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory and assessment of analytical results
• Organization of interlaboratory tests
• Certification of feedstuffs within the framework of Pastus+ of AMA Marketing
• Issue of certificates, in particular for the marketability of feedstuffs

National Reference Laboratory

• National Reference Laboratory for Metals and Nitrogen Compounds in Feed and Food
• National Reference Laboratory for additives for use in animal nutrition
• National reference laboratory for animal proteins in feeds
• National reference laboratory for monitoring the water content in poultry meat according to Regulation (EC) No. 433/2006