The Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the Royal National Association of Purebred Spanish Horses Breeders (Real Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballos de Pura Raza Española, ANCCE) has recently obtained ENAC's accreditation for genetic analyses to confirm that the analysed specimens belong to the breed called Purebred Spanish Horses (Pura Raza Española, PRE) and, therefore, can be registered in the Stud Book of Purebred Spanish Horses (Libro Genealógico de los Caballos de Pura Raza Española, LG PRE), the only official registry recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to register these horses worldwide.

Therefore, and thanks to the fact that ANCCE has successfully passed a rigorous, transparent, and internationally accepted assessment process, owners of purebred Spanish horses will have greater certainty that the results of the genetic analysis submitted by ANCCE are valid. For Arancha Rodríguez Sainz de los Terreros, ANCCE's technical manager, "farmers demand ever more quality in the services they receive and that means we must meet their expectations in the registration service process provided". "Compliance with the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, as an internationally recognised tool, provides greater guarantees for the laboratory's results, which in turn guarantees the purity of the breed," she says.

Guarantees of accredited laboratories

ENAC accreditation is a fundamental tool for laboratories to demonstrate, among other aspects, that they use technically valid and controlled methods to perform their tests, that they have the necessary resources to carry them out correctly, and, of course, that these tests have valid results guaranteed by strict internal and external controls.

In the words of Arancha Rodríguez, "with this accreditation, we control compliance with the standard, and its correct application contributes to ensuring that all the procedures carried out are performed with criteria of effectiveness, competence and impartiality. It also certifies that we have the appropriate personnel and controlled equipment, and that the analytical procedures are conducted through validated methods, guaranteeing capacity, top technical competence, rigor, and reliable results”.