The EURLMB is the European Union Reference Laboratory for Marine Biotoxins. As such, it coordinates the activities of a network of National Reference Laboratories (NRL), established in each EU Member State, regarding the methodologies applied to control marine biotoxins in shellfish, in order to protect public health and guarantee a maximum level of food safety.

The Marine Biotoxins Laboratory in Vigo (Spain) was designated as CRLMB in 1993. Since 2004, the EURLMB is under the Spanish Food Safety Agency of the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy.

The duties of the CRLs are established in the Article 32 of the Regulation (EC) Nº 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 and, essentially, they are:

1. to provide national reference laboratories with details of analytical methods, including reference methods;
2. to coordinate the application by the national reference laboratories of the methods referred to in (a), in particular by organising comparative testing and by ensuring an appropriate follow-up of such comparative testing in accordance with internationally accepted protocols, when available;
3. to coordinate, within their area of competence, practical arrangements needed to apply new analytical methods and informing national reference laboratories of advances in this field;
4. to conduct initial and further training courses for the benefit of staff from national reference laboratories and of experts from developing countries;
5. to provide scientific and technical assistance to the Commission, especially in cases where Member States contest the results of analyses;
6. to collaborate with laboratories responsible for analysing feed and food in third countries.