National reference laboratories for agrifood 2026: what changes and who is affected

Key data

Spain's official food control system debuts a new regulatory architecture with the publication of Order PJC/1015/2026. Until now, the designations of national reference laboratories were scattered across multiple regulations of different ranks, which generated dispersion and hindered coordination. This order unifies everything in a single text, effective immediately from 30 September 2026.

The measure is framed within Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls in the food chain and develops Royal Decree 682/2026. Its objective is to strengthen Spain's official food control network and align it with European standards.

What does this regulation establish?

The Order formally designates national reference laboratories in agrifood matters and primary production health. These laboratories have three main functions:

• Coordinate official laboratories from all public administrations (state, regional and local).
• Standardize the analytical methods used in official food control throughout the national territory.
• Collaborate with European Union reference laboratories, guaranteeing the traceability and comparability of results.

A key structural requirement: all designated laboratories must be of necessarily public nature. The designation of private laboratories for this national reference role is not permitted.

The technical areas covered by the designation are as follows:

From a regulatory perspective, the main novelty is unification: designations that were previously scattered across multiple regulations of different ranks are consolidated in a single text, improving regulatory accessibility and legal certainty for all system operators.

Economic and operational impact

This order does not generate direct costs for private companies in the agrifood sector, as its scope of application is limited to public laboratories and administrations. However, it has relevant operational consequences for the entire official control system:

• Greater analytical coherence: The standardization of methods reduces result variability between autonomous communities, which may affect how controls are interpreted in different territories.
• Reinforced coordination: Official laboratories of regional administrations are technically subordinated to national reference laboratories, which may imply changes in internal protocols and procedures.
• European alignment: Collaboration with EU reference laboratories facilitates data comparability in inspections and cross-border food alerts, with impact on exporters and importers operating under Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
• Regulatory accessibility: The unification of designations in a single text reduces the regulatory monitoring burden for operators who need to know which laboratory is the reference in each matter.

Who does it affect?

• Public agrifood laboratories designated as national reference laboratories or as official laboratories dependent on them.
• Public administrations with competencies in official food control: Ministry of Agriculture, regional agriculture and health departments, and local administrations with official laboratories.
• Health authorities responsible for planning and executing official controls in the food chain.
• Agrifood operators subject to official controls in the areas of animal health, plant health, pharmacological residues, plant protection products, fertilizers and molecular genetics: may be indirectly affected by changes in analysis protocols and reference laboratories used in inspections.
• Exporters and importers of agrifood products that must accredit analytical results to European authorities under Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

Practical example

A fruit and vegetable production company in Andalusia is subject to official controls for plant protection product residues. Until now, analyses could be carried out in different regional official laboratories with methodologies that were not always homogeneous between communities.

With the entry into force of Order PJC/1015/2026, the national reference laboratory in plant protection products takes on the role of coordinating and standardizing the analytical methods of all regional official laboratories. This means that if the company exports to another EU Member State and European authorities request validation of analytical results, the Spanish reference laboratory can collaborate directly with the corresponding European reference laboratory, providing greater credibility and traceability to the results. For the company, this translates into greater legal certainty in its exports and lower risk of challenge to analytical results due to methodological differences.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if your activity is subject to official control in any of the six areas covered: animal health, plant health, pharmacological residues, molecular genetics, plant protection products or fertilizers and agricultural soil.
2. Verify which national reference laboratory corresponds to your sector and which official laboratory performs the analyses in your autonomous community, to anticipate possible protocol changes.
3. Review internal procedures for sample collection and custody of analytical results, ensuring they are compatible with the methods that the national reference laboratory will standardize.
4. Update export documentation if you operate in European markets: analytical results issued by official laboratories coordinated by the new national reference laboratories will have greater support before European authorities.
5. Consult with your legal or technical advisor if you have doubts about how this reorganization affects the controls you are subject to, especially if you operate in several territories with different competent administrations.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-20271