Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda (centre), hands over the accreditation certificate for the Veterinary Services Division (VSD) Diagnostic Laboratory to Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Osbil Watson (2nd right), during a ceremony at VSD’s offices on Old Hope Road in St. Andrew on January 31. Others (from left) are Dr. Wintorph Marsden of the VSD, Donovan Stanberry, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry; and Sharonmae Shirley, Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation.
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Karl Samuda, commended the Veterinary Services Division (VSD) on its achievement of accreditation to the ISO/IEC17025 Standard for Testing Laboratories by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation JANAAC).
Minister Samuda said that the certification will enable the VSD to provide fisheries products that are of international standards. This, he said, is one step in expanding our exports and increasing our foreign exchange earnings.
Minister Samuda was speaking at the presentation of the accreditation certificate at the VSD offices in St. Andrew, on Wednesday, January 31.
As a JANAAC-accredited lab, results from the VSD laboratory are now guaranteed to be accepted globally, especially as they relate to fish and fishery products.
JANAAC is the national accreditation body of Jamaica and the only internationally recognised accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean. Since its establishment in 2008, it has been facilitating trade between Jamaica and its trading partners by enabling the country’s conformity assessment system to meet international standards and the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
An entity under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, JANAAC provides accreditation services to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), which consist of laboratories and inspection and certification bodies. It also provides training to personnel involved in the accreditation of CABs, which includes assessors, CAB staff, quality managers and internal auditors.
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