Lab Services

Important Closure Notice

Laboratory Services will be closed for Good Friday, April 14th & Easter Monday, April 17th, 2017.

During the period between Monday April 10th to Monday April 17th 2017 water sample drop off times will be affected.

Please Note:

  • Water samples for analysis will only be accepted until 1 pm on Wednesday, April 12th, 2017
  • Bacteria water samples that have color must be received no later than 3 pm on Tuesday, April 11th, 2017

Laboratory Services will resume normal testing operations on Tuesday, April 18th, 2017

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Important Notice — Mineral Water Testing to be Referred to Another Accredited Lab

Please Note: Effective immediately, Lab Services will send mineral water tests to another accredited lab for testing, as we are updating equipment with an new instrument.

Due to our quality assurance accreditation requirements, it will take several weeks for us to validate the new instrument to ensure accurate results. This action will not result in any additional cost for our clients, although there may be an extra day or two in turnaround time.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (902) 893-6565.

We apologize for the inconvenience.
Thank you for your cooperation.

The Department of Agriculture manages laboratories that analyze a range of animal, food and agricultural materials, including: individual animal and herd/flock health diagnoses; raw and processed milk and related dairy products; drinking, milk house and greenhouse water; soils; livestock feed; plant tissue; compost; and manure analyses. Our services are aimed primarily at agricultural producers and industry, but we are available to private companies, other government agencies, researchers and the public.

Our labs are located in two buildings. The Analytical Lab is located at 176 College Road, while the Animal Health Lab is at 65 River Road. Dairy Lab functions are carried out in one of these two locations.

For more in-depth lab information including drop-off hours, fees and specifics on sampling:

Analytical Lab

Responsible for testing: water, feed, soil, manure, compost, and fruit and vegetable crop tissues.

Pathology Lab

Responsible for testing: livestock and other animals and post-mortem examinations.

Dairy Lab

Responsible for testing: dairy and juice products and related materials.