One of the UK’s leading commercial poultry veterinary practices and laboratories has relocated its Scottish facilities following a £190,000 investment boost.
Poultry Health Services (PHS), which has nine commercial poultry veterinary practices across the UK, outgrew its facilities at Pentlands Science Park, south of Edinburgh.
The Scottish branch has moved to a new site at Newbridge, west of the city, and the poultry laboratory, which will be known as Newbridge Scientific, will relocate over the coming months. The new building has been fitted out to provide better laboratory, post-mortem and office space, and improved staff facilities. The new location is close to major motorways and is easily accessible for clients.
The poultry laboratory, currently managed by Biobest Laboratories, will become more closely aligned with the clinical practice when it joins the vets at Newbridge. PHS and Biobest are both part of VetPartners, a veterinary group with nearly 150 of the UK’s leading veterinary businesses, which has provided investment for the development.
PHS provides clinical, diagnostic and consultancy services for all aspects of commercial poultry production, including layer and broiler flocks, hatcheries, processing plants and game birds. It also carries out certification for exports of hatching eggs, day old chicks and products of animal origin. The Newbridge practice is led by vets Scott Dawson and Caterina Guerreiro and serves clients throughout Scotland.
Scott said: “This move is really positive for us. It gives us space for expansion and allows closer alignment of clinical and laboratory services, for the benefit of our clients. It also provides scope to broaden the range of services we offer, which is important for the progressive industries we serve.”
The laboratory will move to the new building when UKAS and Lion Code accreditation is granted, with a target opening date in late spring or early summer. It will be operated by a team of experienced microbiologists and support staff. They will provide Salmonella sample processing, serology and parasitology, with plans to expand into molecular and other diagnostic services.
Scott added: “We are fortunate that we will inherit a well-established, experienced team from Biobest, who have been very supportive of the Newbridge development.”
The move will allow Biobest to focus on other opportunities and continue its history of innovation: it opened in 1995 as the first UK private sector laboratory with specialist capability in cell culture, virology and infectious disease diagnostics.
Funding of the PHS Newbridge development is part of a £5.5 million investment by VetPartners in its practices across the UK in the first six months of 2021.
