Statutory Disinfectant Testing
Veterinary disinfectants play an essential part in the prevention and control of endemic epizootic animal diseases. In the United Kingdom and its devolved administrations only disinfectants approved by DEFRA can be used where required in the Animal Health Act 1981 and in orders issued under the act. The Approval Process is regulated through The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (England) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1509) and parallel statutory instruments in the devolved administrations.
The Pirbright Laboratory offers ISO/IEC 17025 accredited disinfectant efficacy testing for DEFRA approval against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV). The standard DEFRA test is a disinfectant suspension test where dilutions of the disinfectant specified by the manufacturer are made in WHO hard water, with protein soiling for FMDV tests. FMDV or SVDV is added to these dilutions, and the test mixture is held at 4°C for 30 minutes. Residual virus infectivity is detected and quantified by inoculating serial dilutions of the test mixtures onto cell cultures. Disinfectants under test will be deemed efficacious at the tested dilution if it reduces virus titre by at least 10⁴ pfu/ml (4 logs) in the test.
Manufacturers of disinfectants seeking official Defra approval for their product under The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (England) Order 2011 should submit their products to Defra Disinfectants Approvals who will forward the product for testing against FMDV and SVDV to The Pirbright Institute.
The Disinfectant Testing Laboratory is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 4025.
Independent Commercial Disinfectant Testing
The Pirbright Institute also offers an independent disinfectant testing service to UK and international clients developing disinfectants against FMDV, SVDV, and African swine fever virus (ASFV). This follows the same test method as statutory tests, but parameters can be adapted if requested. A range finder assay is also offered, where up to five different dilutions of the disinfectant under test can be evaluated to determine the optimal effective dilution.
Changes to test parameters cause results to be outside the scope of ISO/IEC 17025. All ASFV tests are currently non-accredited. Results for non-accredited tests will be reported with the observed log reduction but no pass or fail result. Disinfectant testing is normally completed within a three-month period.
Requests for independent disinfectant testing services (non-statutory) should be made to our Disinfectant Testing Laboratory accompanied by the submission form.
Read our frequently asked questions about disinfectant testing.
Contact us
For further information, enquiries and pricing please contact:
Disinfectant Testing Laboratory,
The Pirbright Institute,
Ash Road,
Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1483 231064
Email: disinfectant.testing@pirbright.ac.uk