About Us

In LAVES, round about 900 employees are involved in consumer protection. They are entrusted with tasks in the areas of food and utensil inspection, feed inspection, meat hygiene, veterinary drug monitoring, eradication of animal diseases, disposal of animal by-products, animal welfare, ecological farming, market surveillance and technical process monitoring.

LAVES was founded with the aim of achieving a stronger focus on testing and consultancy services. Making rapid use of the test results , food safety is further enhanced: Safe foodstuffs in all stages of production "from the stable to the table".

But not only that: Feed inspection is intensified and linked even more closely with food monitoring. By means of the prompt and direct information exchange, rapid and thorough testing is made possible. In addition, the entire feed monitoring has been entrusted to LAVES - this means that if there is reason for complaint LAVES can immediately take the necessary legal steps. Food monitoring and food control agents are responsible for providing operative and competent advice for the appropriate local monitoring authorities.

LAVES has six testing institutes in the whole of Lower Saxony (Food Institute, Veterinary Institute, Institute for Fish and Fishery Products, Institute for Commodities, Feed Institute, Institute for Apiculture). Furthermore, the specialised departments state-wide are entrusted with the duties of operative and competent consultancy for the local authorities, which include Task Force Consumer Protection, Veterinary Task-Force, Control of Animal Diseases and Disposal of Animal By-Products, Food Monitoring and International Trade, Veterinary Medicine Surveillance/Residue Inspektion Services, Feed Monitoring, Ecological Agriculture and Market Control. Likewise, the Technical Experts and Animal Welfare Service who, with their expertise deal with issues of animal husbandry and technology in all areas of veterinary service, contribute to preventive consumer protection, are part of LAVES. Here too, even more safety can be achieved through the close ties of these departments.

Through the department Press and Public Relations specialised information is prepared in such a manner as to be understandable to all consumers, so that even more transparency is achieved.

LAVES - we can build on decades of experience of diverse institutes and their staff members, and work daily to achieve even more safety in consumer protection.