What FBA Laboratories does

FBA Laboratories Ltd. is an Irish private limited company founded in 1996 and headquartered in a purpose-built facility at Carrigeen Industrial Estate, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland. The company delivers accredited analytical laboratory testing and consultancy services across four end markets: agriculture, the environment, veterinary/animal health, and food. Its agricultural testing catalogue covers soil (pH, P, K, lime requirement, minerals, heavy metals, organic matter, total carbon/nitrogen, soil texture), grass (pre-cut, mineral, feed evaluation), silage (NIR and wet-chemistry feed evaluation, minerals, fermentation quality), feeds (nutritional, hay, forage, NOPS), and germination. Environmental testing includes water (chemical, bacteria, Bord Bia), effluent (BOD, COD, ammonia, phosphates), heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Mo), and sludge/slurry analysis. Veterinary work centres on BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea) ear-notch ELISA testing under the Animal Health Ireland national eradication programme, plus milk and blood analysis including minerals, heavy metals, MAP/Johne's, iodine, and contaminants. Food testing covers dairy safety, composition, and contaminants.

The facility has held ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation (INAB registration 257T) since 2010, with the scope expanded to 40+ parameters across 10+ analytical techniques since 2023 and most recently renewed in July 2024 (valid to July 2029). Supporting infrastructure includes NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) and ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) instrumentation, automated cloud-based laboratory information systems with web-service integrations to DAFM, Teagasc, Tirlán, ICBF, Pasturebase, NMP, and other agricultural platforms, a Farmer Portal for sample submission and results, a Customer Portal for commercial accounts, and an online payment system supporting credit card and PayPal. Pricing is per-test across roughly €3.70 (BVD NHS prepay) to €150 (full chemical and bacteria water test), with volume discounts on 2+ samples and a 13.5% VAT applied. Distribution is single-country (Ireland), combining self-serve digital channels with phone/email sales and physical mail-in sample submission.

FBA serves a vertical-segmented customer base: farmers and agri advisors (primary), plus veterinary specialists, researchers, horticultural specialists, and food producers, with reported integrations or partnerships spanning 100+ Irish agricultural organisations. No funding rounds, M&A, headcount, or revenue figures are disclosed in source materials; the company appears to be founder/owner-operated.

Name

FBA Laboratories

Legal name

FBA Laboratories Ltd.

Website

https://fba-labs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FBA Laboratories is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited Irish analytical testing laboratory, founded in 1996, providing soil, grass, silage, feed, water, BVD, milk, blood, and food testing services to farmers, advisors, veterinarians, researchers, and food producers across Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Regulatory Compliance & HACCP Consulting (FDA/USDA/EFSA) (AFALAAAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural laboratory testing
• Soil fertility analysis
• Veterinary diagnostic testing
• Environmental water analysis
• Feed nutritional evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cappoquin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: FBA Laboratories generates revenue through providing accredited laboratory testing services for agriculture, environmental, veterinary, and food sectors. Services include soil testing, grass testing, silage testing, feed testing, water testing, BVD testing, milk testing, blood testing, and more. Customers pay per test based on specific analysis packages selected.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FBA Laboratories provides accredited analytical laboratory testing and consultancy services for the agriculture, environmental, veterinary, and food sectors from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility in Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Its core offerings include soil, grass, silage, feed, germination, water, effluent, heavy metals, sludge/slurry, BVD, milk, and blood testing, complemented by digital portals for sample submission, reporting, and online payment.

Product overview

FBA Laboratories offers a comprehensive portfolio of laboratory testing services organized into distinct product categories: Agricultural Testing (Soil, Grass, Silage, Feed, Germination), Environmental Testing (Water, Effluent, Heavy Metals, Sludge/Slurry), Veterinary/Animal Health Testing (BVD, Milk, Blood), Food Testing, and Digital Platforms (Farmer Portal, Customer Portal, Online Payment). The company provides both standalone testing services and bundled advisory offerings such as Herd Health Monitoring, Feed & Nutrition Support, and Agricultural Advisory Services. Core laboratory testing is complemented by digital integration through web-based portals for sample submission and report access, with services delivered from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility operating since 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soil Testing Comprehensive soil analysis including SR2 (pH, P, K, Lime requirement), SR3 (full minerals profile), Organic Matter, Heavy Metals, Total Carbon/Nitrogen, and Soil Texture analysis to support crop production and environmental sustainability for farmers and growers.
• Grass Testing Grass quality testing including Pre-Cut analysis for silage timing, Mineral testing (ICP-MS), and Feed Evaluation to support grazing management and livestock nutrition optimization for farmers and advisers.
• Silage Testing Silage nutritional value and fermentation quality analysis including Mineral analysis, Maize/Arable/Wholecrop evaluation, and Feed Evaluation to support feed efficiency and herd health.
• Feed Testing Feed quality analysis including Nutritional Analysis, Hay Quality Testing, Forage Assessment, Alkagrain analysis, and NOPS compliance testing to support livestock nutrition and feed management.
• Germination Testing Professional seed germination analysis including Germination Capacity, Germination Energy, and Seed Performance Assessment to evaluate planting potential and crop establishment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded ISO accredited testing scope to 40+ parameters since 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DAFM (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)coreTechnology or IntegrationFBA Laboratories integrates with DAFM systems for agricultural data exchange and compliance reporting, supporting government agricultural programmes and regulatory requirements.
• TeagasccoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Teagasc systems enabling data exchange and collaboration supporting Irish agricultural research and advisory services.
• TirláncoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Tirlán agricultural cooperative systems for data exchange supporting dairy and farm management services.
• ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation)coreTechnology or IntegrationAutomated data exchange with ICBF systems supporting cattle breeding data, herd management, and performance recording.
• PasturebasecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Pasturebase platform for grassland management data exchange and pasture performance monitoring.
• NMP (National Milk Records)coreTechnology or IntegrationWeb service integrations with NMP systems supporting milk recording data exchange and dairy herd management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: Global leader in food, environmental and agricultural testing with extensive accreditations. Operates in Ireland and competes for the same agricultural, food and environmental testing customers as FBA Laboratories, but at a vastly larger scale and broader menu.
• ALS Global: International testing group with food, environmental and life-sciences divisions. Competes with FBA in environmental water, soil and agricultural testing across Ireland and the UK, offering similar parameters with broader geographic reach.
• SGS: Global testing, inspection and certification company with an agricultural and food testing portfolio that overlaps FBA's soil, feed, water and dairy testing services for Irish and European customers.
• Bureau Veritas: International TIC (testing, inspection, certification) group with agri-food and environmental testing capabilities. Competes with FBA in Ireland/UK for accredited agricultural, food and environmental testing work.
• IDEXX Laboratories: Global leader in veterinary diagnostics, including livestock and herd-health testing. Overlaps with FBA's BVD, milk and blood testing portfolio and represents a much larger, capitalised competitor in animal-health diagnostics.
• Eurofins Agro Testing (incl. BLGG): Eurofins' specialised agricultural testing arm focused on soil, forage, manure and water analysis for farmers and advisors. A direct overlap with FBA's core agricultural testing menu, serving similar customers across Europe.

Direct peers

• Mérieux NutriSciences: Specialised food and agricultural testing services provider with strong dairy, feed and food-safety capabilities. Directly comparable to FBA in scope (milk, feed, environmental testing) and in serving dairy and food producers with accredited analysis.
• Mervue Laboratories: Irish animal health and nutrition laboratory providing diagnostic and nutritional testing for livestock. A named FBA partner within the Irish agricultural testing ecosystem and a direct competitor for veterinary, milk and feed testing work.
• Dairy One: US-based cooperative laboratory specialising in dairy, forage, feed, soil and water testing for farmers and advisors. Closely mirrors FBA's agricultural testing service model and customer base, particularly its dairy and feed analysis.

Regional players

• Sciantec Analytical Services: UK-based agricultural and environmental testing laboratory serving feed, forage, soil and water analysis. Comparable in service scope to FBA and a potential cross-border competitor for Irish/UK agribusiness accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 FBA Laboratories