Eurofins Agro UK has today (Thursday, August 31) announced the opening of a new agricultural testing facility in Needham Market, Suffolk.

The new testing facility will serve the whole of the UK and is located near another Eurofins laboratory which has historically carried out compost, AD and fertiliser testing.

The company said a sharp rise in demand for soil, slurry, compost and forage testing has prompted its expansion.

Eurofins Agro UK’s managing director, Andrew Shead, said: “There has been a sharp rise in demand for soil, slurry, compost and forage testing as agriculture moves towards a more data driven farming system.

“Eurofins Agro UK has responded to demand by consolidating all our agricultural testing in Suffolk to increase capacity, reduce waiting times and futureproof our service.”

Forage testing was previously offered at the company’s laboratory in Wolverhampton, where other services including water testing are carried out.

However, growing demand for agricultural testing has led to the investment in a new facility to bring all agricultural testing to Suffolk.

“We are recruiting, and the team is growing to meet demand. The increased capacity will enable us to process more tests faster and also expand in the future as agriculture demands more data to farm more efficiently,” Shead said.

“Having two sites close together in Suffolk provides a base of operations that will make managing demand for tests more efficient.

“All samples are now being sent to Unit 29 Maitland Road, IP6 8NZ, and the team has the space, facilities, and resources to react quickly.”