What LUFA Nord-West does

LUFA Nord-West is an agriculture and farming company. Its customers include farmers, companies in the fertilizer, animal feed and food industries, associations, municipalities, engineering offices, and more. It is a service provider from agriculture and its upstream and downstream areas. It includes analysis, evaluation, and advice for the entire agricultural, food, and environmental industries.

Name

LUFA Nord-West

Legal name

LUFA Nord-West

Website

https://www.lufa-nord-west.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LUFA Nord-West is an agriculture company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Testing and Diagnostic Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Veterinary Services (541940), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forage & Feed Testing Services (Silage, Hay, Pasture) (AFACAKAM), Diagnostics & Laboratory Services (Sampling, Necropsy, Disease Investigation) (AFACADAF), Laboratory Analysis Services (Wet Chemistry, Microbiology for Grains) (AFAOAMAJ)

Keywords

• Agricultural testing services
• Food quality analysis
• Animal health diagnostics
• Feed analysis
• Soil and water testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oldenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Fee-for-service laboratory testing across five institutes covering food quality, feed, fertilizers and seeds, soil and environment, and animal health. Services include chemical, microbiological, molecular biological, and physical analyses. Customers include farmers, food companies, traders, veterinarians, and breeding associations.
2. Calibration Materials (Standaron): Sale of IR calibration and reference materials for dairy industry quality assurance. Includes weekly raw milk standards, bi-weekly pasteurized milk standards, linearity series, and custom customer-specific standards via cooperation with DRRR.
3. Vocational and Professional Education: Professional training through the Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum. Programs include Molkereitechnologe/in, Milchwirtschaftliche/r Laborant/in, and Molkereimeister/in. Revenue from course fees with accommodation and meals provided.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

LUFA Nord-West is a DIN EN ISO 17025 accredited agricultural testing laboratory operating five specialized institutes covering food quality, animal health, feed, fertilizers and seeds, and soil and environment. The institute sells laboratory analytical services (chemical, microbiological, molecular biological, and physical testing), diagnostic and biosafety advisory for livestock, IR calibration materials under the Standaron brand, and vocational dairy training through the Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum. Customers include farmers, food companies, retailers, veterinarians, and breeding associations across Niedersachsen and Germany.

Product overview

LUFA Nord-West is an agricultural testing and research institute (Landwirtschaftliche Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalt) operating as a division of the Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen. The organization operates as a platform-plus-laboratories model with five core institutes: Institut für Lebensmittelqualität (Food Quality), Institut für Tiergesundheit (Animal Health), Institut für Futtermittel (Feed), Institut für Düngemittel und Saatgut (Fertilizers and Seeds), and Institut für Boden und Umwelt (Soil and Environment). These institutes provide accredited laboratory testing services for water, feed, food, soil, fertilizers, seeds, plants, and animal health diagnostics, along with specialized sub-products like Tränkwassercheck (drinking water testing for livestock), animal health advisory services (Tiergesundheitsdienste), emissions measurements, sensory analysis, variety diagnostics, and calibration materials. The Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum provides professional training for dairy industry professionals. All services are delivered through a network of sample collection points and courier services across Lower Saxony.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum: Dairy education center providing vocational training for dairy technology professions including Molkereitechnologe/in, Milchwirtschaftliche/r Laborant/in, and Molkereimeister/in.

Products and services

• Institut für Lebensmittelqualität (Institute for Food Quality) Accredited food testing laboratory providing chemical, physical, microbiological, and molecular biological analysis of food products for food industry and retail customers. Includes nutritional values, additives, minerals, vitamins, residues/contaminants, packaging, foreign bodies, GVO testing, animal species identification, allergens, food law consulting, and sensory evaluation.
• Institut für Tiergesundheit (Institute for Animal Health) Veterinary diagnostic laboratory providing bacteriology, molecular biology (PCR), serology, and parasitology testing for livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses) and companion animals. Supports disease control for BHV-1, BVD, Leukose, Brucellose, Salmonella, and Paratuberculosis.
• Institut für Futtermittel (Institute for Feed) Comprehensive feed analysis services using classical and modern chemical, physical, microscopic, and molecular biological methods for agricultural and hobby animal feed, including nutritional content, contaminants, and quality parameters.
• Institut für Düngemittel und Saatgut (Institute for Fertilizers and Seeds) Testing services for fertilizers, seeds, seed variety diagnostics, and soil heavy metal analysis using national and internationally recognized testing procedures. Includes Sortendiagnostik (Variety Diagnostics) via electrophoretic protein fingerprinting.
• Institut für Boden und Umwelt (Institute for Soil and Environment) Environmental testing laboratory offering soil analysis, organic chemical analysis, water testing, biogas analysis, emission measurements, and sewage sludge analysis (PFOS/PFOA) per Klärschlammverordnung.
• Standaron Calibration Materials Proprietary IR-analytics calibration and reference materials for dairy industry quality assurance, including weekly raw milk standards, bi-weekly pasteurized milk standards, linearity series, and DRRR long-shelf-life frozen standards for raw milk, pasteurized milk, cream, and whey products.
• StallView Digital Advisory Platform Digital advisory platform for health and stock management in pig farming, enabling digital knowledge transfer and consulting support for swine producers.
• Pflanzenanalyse (Plant Analysis) Laboratory plant analysis services providing insight into crop quality and nutrient status for agricultural operations.
• Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum (Dairy Training Center) Professional vocational training and continuing education for dairy industry professions including Molkereitechnologe/in, Milchwirtschaftliche/r Laborant/in, and Molkereimeister/in. Conducted in partnership with Berufsbildende Schule 3 Oldenburg, with modern laboratories and dormitory facilities.
• Tiergesundheitsdienste (Animal Health Advisory Services) Advisory and extension services including Rindergesundheitsdienst (Cattle Health Service), Schweinegesundheitsdienst (Swine Health Service), Schaf-/Ziegengesundheitsdienst (Sheep/Goat Health Service), and Pferdegesundheitsdienst (Horse Health Service). Provides biosafety management plans, certification support, and on-farm consulting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Colostrum supply to calves in Germany has steadily improved over the past 20 years, yet approximately 25% of animals are still not optimally supplied.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DRRR (Dairy Research & Reference)coreTechnology or IntegrationDRRR (Dairy Research & Reference) is a cooperation partner for frozen calibration standards. LUFA offers DRRR products alongside its own Standaron calibration materials to provide a comprehensive product range with very long shelf life (>1 year) covering raw milk, pasteurized milk, cream, and whey products.
• Berufsbildende Schule 3 OldenburgcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Berufsbildende Schule 3 Oldenburg for vocational education. LUFA's Milchwirtschaftliches Bildungszentrum conducts vocational school courses (Berufsschullehrgänge) and over-the-job training (Überbetriebliche Ausbildung) in partnership with BBS3 for Niedersachsen, Bremen, and Nordrhein-Westfalen students.
• Tiergesundheitsdienste der LWK NiedersachsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUFA's Institute for Animal Health works closely with the animal health services of the Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen. Joint activities include free sample collection from regional collection points and collaborative disease diagnosis and biosecurity consulting.
• Schweinegesundheitsdienste (All German Pig Health Services Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUFA participates in the all-German Schweinegesundheitsdienste network, collaborating with pig health services across Germany. Working groups have developed certification requirements for PRRS, APP, and Räude-free status that have been implemented into practice.
• Tierseuchenkasse (Animal Disease Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Schweinegesundheitsdienst veterinarians are Tierseuchenkasse-recognized advisors for creating biosafety management plans. The Rindergesundheitsdienst is also Tierseuchenkasse-recognized for farm-specific biosafety management plans.
• LAVES Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUFA's Tiergesundheitsdienste work with LAVES Niedersachsen and the breeding division of the Landwirtschaftskammer for veterinary hygiene monitoring of approximately 70 breeding stations, semen depots, and embryo transfer stations for horses and cattle.
• Bundessortenamt HannoverminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLUFA's variety diagnostics method (electrophoretic protein fingerprinting) is the same method used by the Bundessortenamt in Hannover for official variety identification.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Agrolab Group: Agrolab Group is a German commercial agricultural and environmental testing laboratory network offering soil, water, feed, and food testing services. It directly competes with LUFA Nord-West in Niedersachsen and across Germany for fee-for-service agricultural testing volumes.
• LUFA Speyer (LUA Speyer): LUFA Speyer is the equivalent agricultural testing and research institute for Rhineland-Palatinate under the respective Landwirtschaftskammer structure. As a sister LUFA, it offers the same DIN EN ISO 17025 accredited agricultural testing portfolio but in a different German state.

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global laboratory group with substantial food, feed, agricultural, and environmental testing capacity across Europe. It competes with LUFA Nord-West on commercial agricultural and food testing work and offers broader scale and international reach.
• SGS: SGS is a global inspection, verification, testing, and certification company with agricultural and food testing services worldwide. It competes for higher-volume commercial testing work and operates accredited laboratories across multiple European countries.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas provides agricultural commodity testing, food safety, and environmental laboratory services globally. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in feed, food, and soil testing.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: Mérieux NutriSciences specializes in food safety and quality testing services across the food value chain. It overlaps with LUFA's Institut für Lebensmittelqualität on chemical, microbiological, and residue testing for food industry clients.
• Intertek: Intertek offers agricultural product testing and certification services globally, including feed and food testing. It is a broad incumbent competing for commercial agricultural testing accounts in Europe.

Regional players

• LKV Baden-Württemberg: LKV Baden-Württemberg is the regional agricultural quality and animal health organization for Baden-Württemberg, providing milk recording, animal health diagnostics, and quality assurance. It is a comparable regional peer serving a different German state with a similar chamber-based structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LUFA Nord-West