Working for public and animal health
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History of VLA
VLA can trace its origins back to 1894 when its forerunner the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) was established in a small basement room in Whitehall, London to deal with a swine fever epidemic. This remit was quickly widened and after several changes of location the Laboratory moved into its current headquarters at Weybridge in 1917, one of the first purpose built veterinary laboratories in the world. The site is still known as Weybridge today, although the postal address is now Addlestone.
The Veterinary Investigation Centres, the forerunners to the Regional Laboratories, trace their origins back to 1922 when a network of Centres was first attached to Agriculture Colleges.
During these early years a tradition developed which combined the field work of the Centres with the research at CVL. This association has been of considerable benefit to the consumer, the livestock industry and the veterinary profession. Success stories include the eradication or control of classical swine fever, anthrax, rabies, Newcastle disease, warble fly and brucellosis.
These achievements have earned the VLA an international reputation for scientific excellence as it has led the world in developing new techniques for the diagnosis and management of animal disease.
VLA scientists have had a significant influence on the development of animal health policy in both the UK and Europe and the laboratory has achieved World Reference Laboratory statusfor many important diseases.
In 1990, CVL was launched as an Executive Agency of MAFF (now Defra) as part of the Government's Next Steps Initiative.
This gave it greater responsibility for managing its own affairs and enabled it to broaden its customer base and offer its services and expertise to the private sector for the first time.
In 1995, the special relationship between CVL and the Centres was recognised when they merged to form the VLA. The Agency's continuing links with Defra remain at the heart of the UK's animal health and food safety strategy. The VLA also retains a commitment to the standards of scientific excellence that have been a feature of its work for more than a century.