The New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is getting a new home on the University of New Hampshire campus.
The lab assists the state commissioner of agriculture and the state veterinarian in their efforts to monitor and control important animal diseases. It also provides diagnostic services to hundreds of veterinarians from New Hampshire and New England who use the lab's services for the diagnosis of animal diseases in pets, farm animals, wildlife, zoo and marine animals.
A $2.5 million construction project will consist of a one-story, 6,500-square-foot facility near the Macfarlane Greenhouses at Main Street and North Drive.
It's expected to be completed in August and follows an extensive reorganization two years ago that has resulted in record revenues generated from service fees.
"We are excited about the long-needed expanded and improved lab facility. The new lab will enhance productivity and expand capacity for handling larger livestock -- important for animal agriculture in the state," said Lorraine Merrill, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. "
Jon Wraith, dean of the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, said the new lab also ensures that students will have modern facilities to obtain hands-on experimental opportunities.
"There are many stakeholders who depend on the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory," Wraith said. "Whether they are a farmer, a veterinarian, a pet owner, or one of the more than 200 pre-vet and vet-tech students in our college, the lab has far reaching effects for them and the state.”
