From 6 to 10 February group of experts from FSFI «Centre for Grain Quality Assurance» (Moscow, Russia) is visiting the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” to acquire training course on Laboratory quality management system. Under the guidance of “BIOR” experts Russian colleagues acquire principles of European Union (EU) laboratory accreditation system as well as get to know requirements for laboratory accreditation in EU and ISO/IEC 17025 standards.

From 31 January to 3 February the Head of Lyssavirus Unit of Nancy rabies and wildlife laboratory (European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies/ OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies) Dr Florence CLIQUET visited the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment „BIOR”.  Purpose of the visit was to evaluate eligibility of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the institute “BIOR” to be nominated as the OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies in Eastern Europe.

From 30 January to 9 February last year students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Latvian University of Agriculture are doing their field practice in laboratory diagnostics in the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”. During the practice students have an opportunity to get to know the specifics of the laboratory work and possibly to choose the laboratory as their workplace in future.

From 30 January to 3 February group of experts from Federal State Institution „Federal Centre of Quality and Safety Assurance for Grain and Grain products” (Moscow, Russia) is visiting the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” to acquire training course on determination of quality and safety criteria for animal feed.

Guests learned about the history of the institute, its development priorities and trends, as well as visited the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Investigations. During the week russian colleagues attended workshops and practical training for determination of various feed quality criteria like microelements and macronutrients, dry feed quality parameters, presence of starch and micro-fiber as well as veterinary drugs and pesticide residues.

A new „Latvian Fisheries Yearbook” was published in November 2011. It is a 15th issue of the Yearbook dedicated to the Latvian Fisheries. This volume of the Yearbook presents more than 20 papers of specialists and researchers devoted fishing and fish resources, fisheries management and control, fish production and fish market, aquaculture and angling.