LUFA Speyer
LUFA Speyer is a German government-owned agricultural and environmental analytical laboratory, founded 1875 and operating under the Bezirksverband Pfalz, providing accredited soil, seed, feed, food, water, and forestry testing plus GLP pesticide studies to state governments, agricultural businesses, and private individuals across Germany and the Upper Rhine region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1875
- HeadquartersSpeyer, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What LUFA Speyer does
Landwirtschaftliche Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalt (LUFA) Speyer is an independent government-owned analytical and research institute headquartered in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Founded in 1875 and owned by the Bezirksverband Pfalz (District Association of the Palatinate), the institution provides accredited chemical, physical, biological, and microbiological testing services across soils, seeds, fertilizers, feedstuff, food (fruits, vegetables), water, plants, and forestry matrices, plus Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies for pesticide residue and environmental fate assessments. It operates a 15-hectare field trial station at Rinkenbergerhof for applied agricultural research including climate adaptation and crop rotation experiments. LUFA Speyer also produces and sells certified standard soils used as reference materials in GLP pesticide registration studies, priced at EUR 13.00/kg with volume discounts.
The institute serves three primary customer segments: state government authorities (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, including radiation protection and official agricultural monitoring functions), agricultural businesses and trading companies (farmers, winegrowers, feed/food producers requiring quality assurance and residue testing), and private individuals (home gardeners, water quality testers). It additionally supports research institutions through long-term collaborations, notably a 40-year partnership with the FAWF forest research institute. Revenue derives from official state investigation contracts (professional services), fee-for-service analytical testing (transaction fees), and hardware-like sales of standard soils. Accreditations include DAkkS (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018), GLP, GMP+, ISTA, and QS approvals, with a top-10 ranking among 165 European laboratories in the EU residue proficiency test.
LUFA Speyer has expanded its service geography through PFAS testing across eight German federal states and participates in two transnational Interreg research consortia (KLIMACrops 2023-2026 with 17 partners; AgriRePlas 2025-2029 with 18 partners) focused on climate adaptation and plastic reduction in agriculture. The institution employs a multidisciplinary scientific workforce organized into eight specialist departments under dual leadership comprising Dr. Diana Bunzel (Scientific and Technical Director) and Jan Jungkind (Commercial Director), with deputy directors Viktor März (Finance) and Dr. Dieter Martens (Deputy Scientific Director, PFAS specialist).
LUFA Speyer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LUFA Speyer
- Legal name
- Landwirtschaftliche Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalt (LUFA) Speyer
- Website
- https://lufa-speyer.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1875
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- LUFA Speyer is a German government-owned agricultural and environmental analytical laboratory, founded 1875 and operating under the Bezirksverband Pfalz, providing accredited soil, seed, feed, food, water, and forestry testing plus GLP pesticide studies to state governments, agricultural businesses, and private individuals across Germany and the Upper Rhine region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LUFA Speyer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural and Environmental Analytical Testing Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pesticide Residue & Agrochemical Screening Services (Soil/Plant/Water) (AFACAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Agricultural Water Testing Services (Irrigation, Groundwater, Surface Water) (AFACAKAC), Environmental Public Health Laboratories (Water/Air/Soil) (HLAJAIAG), Biologicals Regulatory, Testing & Quality Assurance Services (AFABAEAO), Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) & Food Safety Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAF)
Keywords
Where LUFA Speyer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Speyer
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
LUFA Speyer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Analytical Testing Services: Fee-for-service laboratory testing for soils, seeds, fertilizers, feedstuff, water, plants, and produce. Services provided to state governments (official testing), agricultural businesses, private companies, and individuals.
- Standard Soils Sales: Sale of certified standard soils used for GLP pesticide studies and research. Pricing: 13.00 EUR per kg with volume discounts (10% for >500 kg, 15% for >1000 kg) plus various surcharges.
- Official State Testing Contracts: Performs official tests for the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, providing analytical services to government ministries and authorities as part of regulatory and monitoring functions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard soil per kg |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Small quantity surcharge (up to 20 kg) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fresh soil surcharge |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Soil steaming |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | First-time customer surcharge |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
LUFA Speyer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LUFA Speyer is a government-owned agricultural and environmental analytical laboratory providing comprehensive chemical, physical, and biological testing across soils, seeds, feedstuff, food, water, fertilizers, and forestry samples. It delivers GLP-compliant pesticide studies, sells certified standard soils for pesticide approval research, and conducts long-term field trials at the 15-hectare Rinkenbergerhof station. Services are performed under official state accreditation for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland and are available to government agencies, agricultural businesses, research institutions, and private individuals.
Product overview
LUFA Speyer is an independent enterprise of the Palatinate District Association offering a comprehensive portfolio of agricultural and environmental analysis services. The core offerings include soil analysis, seed testing, feedstuff analysis, food analysis, water analysis, fertilizer analysis, and forestry analysis, all supported by GLP-compliant studies. Additionally, the organization sells Standard Soils as reference materials for pesticide studies. Research and development activities are conducted at the Rinkenbergerhof field trial station, which supports applied agricultural research including climate adaptation studies and crop rotation experiments. The services are organized into eight specialist departments covering sample management, field trials, soil analysis, feedstuff analysis, microbiology, organic residues, inorganic analysis, and central services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Standard Soils
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 10 ranking out of 165 European laboratories in EU proficiency test for residue analysis
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use LUFA Speyer
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
LUFA Speyer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
LUFA Speyer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- AgriRePlas Interreg Project Partnersflagship18 partners from Germany, France, and Switzerland working on reducing plastic footprint in agriculture. Project maps risky applications, conducts farm tests, identifies biodegradable alternatives. Duration 2025-2029, funded by Interreg Upper Rhine.
- NCLOSE Student Project (RWTH Aachen University)minorLUFA Speyer supports student research project on groundwater protection by providing characterization of test substrates. Project aims to reduce nitrate pollution from agricultural sources using modified bacteria.
- KLIMACrops Interreg Project Partnersflagship17 partner institutions from Germany, France, and Switzerland in Interreg project developing strategies for adapting arable farming to climate change. LUFA Speyer focuses on leguminous intercropping before maize and relay cropping at Rinkenbergerhof. Project duration 2023-2026, funded by Interreg Upper Rhine ERDF.
- Bezirksverband Pfalz (Palatinate District Association)coreLUFA Speyer is an independent enterprise owned by the Bezirksverband Pfalz (Palatinate District Association). The association sponsors the institution and is part of the Rhineland-Palatinate Municipal Climate Pact. LUFA Speyer contributes to the association's goals of effective environmental and consumer protection in agriculture and forestry.
- BOLAP GmbHcoreSince 2006, LUFA Speyer offers comprehensive analyses for pesticide residues and their degradation products in vegetables and fruit for agricultural businesses and trading companies in cooperation with BOLAP GmbH, particularly in the pre-harvest stage. Joint presentation at lecture series.
- Research Institute for Forest Ecology and Forestry (FAWF), Trippstadtcore40 years of successful collaboration. LUFA provides chemical analyses for forest environmental monitoring; analyzes approximately 2,300 water samples, 500 plant samples, 100 mineral soil/humus samples annually for forest status reports. Collaboration on BZE forest soil surveys, short rotation plantations, and other research projects.
- DLR Rheinpfalz (Service Centers for Rural Areas)coreCooperation partner in research and advisory services. DLR provides rural services including agricultural advisory, applied research in viticulture and phytomedicine.
- University of HohenheimcoreResearch cooperation partner contributing expertise in agricultural sciences. Dr. Weinmann acquired expertise at Hohenheim.
- LTZ Augustenberg (Agricultural Technology Center)coreResearch partner in KLIMACrops project, providing expertise in agricultural technology and advisory services.
- State Office for Environment Rhineland-Palatinate (LfU)coreCooperation in environmental monitoring. LfU responsible for air, precipitation, soil surface, wastewater, groundwater analysis. LUFA provides complementary plant, feedstuff, and soil analysis.
- Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere ReserveminorPartner in organizing farmers' market at open house event, supporting regional agricultural visibility.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LUFA Speyer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance): Global testing, inspection, and certification company with an agricultural and food testing division offering residue, contaminant, and soil analysis. Overlaps with LUFA's commercial analytical services but is not specialized in the German state-government testing niche.
- ALS Global: International testing services group with food, environmental, and agricultural testing lines. Provides commercial alternatives to LUFA's residue, soil, and water testing services across European markets.
- Intertek: Global quality assurance provider with agricultural product and environmental testing capabilities. Competes for commercial analytical contracts that would otherwise go to specialized labs like LUFA Speyer.
- Eurofins Scientific: Global market leader in food, feed, and environmental testing with extensive PFAS, pesticide residue, and soil analysis offerings. Competes with LUFA on large commercial contracts and reference materials but operates at vastly greater scale across all of Europe.
- Bureau Veritas: International TIC (testing, inspection, certification) provider with agri-food and environmental testing lines. Comparable to LUFA on residue, contaminant, and soil testing at a global scale but without LUFA's German state-mandate positioning.
Direct peers
- AGROLAB Group: Germany-headquartered commercial agricultural and environmental testing laboratory group operating across Europe with comparable soil, feed, water, and residue analysis services. Represents the primary private-sector competitor for LUFA's commercial (non-government) analytical contracts.
- LTZ Augustenberg (Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg): Baden-Württemberg's central agricultural research and testing center. Direct regional peer already identified as a KLIMACrops research partner of LUFA Speyer, offering analogous soil, seed, and crop-protection testing services to a neighboring German state.
- LUFA NRW (Landwirtschaftliche Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalt Nordrhein-Westfalen): State-level agricultural testing and research institute for North Rhine-Westphalia. Directly comparable as a German LUFA delivering the same multi-matrix soil, feed, fertilizer, and residue testing under government mandate to a regional agricultural customer base.
Regional players
- INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment with analytical laboratory capabilities. Comparable through the KLIMACrops and AgriRePlas Interreg cross-border research partnerships, though it operates at a far larger scale as a national research body.
- LAVES (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit): Lower Saxony's state office for consumer protection and food safety, performing official food and feed testing comparable to LUFA's mandate for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Operates in a different German state but with a structurally similar government-mandated testing role.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LUFA Speyer compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
LUFA Speyer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LUFA Speyer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
LUFA Speyer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LUFA Speyer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LUFA Speyer
What does LUFA Speyer do?
LUFA Speyer is a government-owned agricultural and environmental analytical laboratory providing comprehensive chemical, physical, and biological testing across soils, seeds, feedstuff, food, water, fertilizers, and forestry samples. It delivers GLP-compliant pesticide studies, sells certified standard soils for pesticide approval research, and conducts long-term field trials at the 15-hectare Rinkenbergerhof station. Services are performed under official state accreditation for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland and are available to government agencies, agricultural businesses, research institutions, and private individuals.
Is LUFA Speyer a public or private company?
LUFA Speyer is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was LUFA Speyer founded?
LUFA Speyer was founded in 1875. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is LUFA Speyer based?
LUFA Speyer is headquartered in Speyer, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does LUFA Speyer make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Analytical Testing Services are the primary driver. The others are standard Soils Sales and official State Testing Contracts.
Who are LUFA Speyer's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance), ALS Global, Intertek, Eurofins Scientific and Bureau Veritas. Direct peers are AGROLAB Group, LTZ Augustenberg (Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg) and LUFA NRW (Landwirtschaftliche Untersuchungs- und Forschungsanstalt Nordrhein-Westfalen). Regional players are INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement) and LAVES (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit).
Does LUFA Speyer have an API?
No public API is recorded for LUFA Speyer.
What industry is LUFA Speyer in?
LUFA Speyer's product category is Agricultural and Environmental Analytical Testing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACAKAF, Pesticide Residue & Agrochemical Screening Services (Soil/Plant/Water), with a secondary code of AFACAKAC, Agricultural Water Testing Services (Irrigation, Groundwater, Surface Water). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8734.