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Great Crested Newt - eDNA

The great crested newt Triturus Cristatus is an ecologically important species, protected under legislation within the UK. eDNA-based surveys of great crested newts are nationally recognised as an approved methodology for ecological impact assessments for the planning and development sector.

SureScreen Scientifics is a leading GCN eDNA provider, and we have achieved 100% over the last three years (2023, 2022 and 2021) in Natural England’s proficiency testing.

Buy Your Kit


We are proud to say that we have scored 100% in the 2023, 2022 and 2021 proficiency test, meaning that all of our GCN eDNA Kits and analysis can be quality assured.

We provide our sample kits separately to the cost of analysis. Each kit includes everything required to collect a successful pond water sample. Order today with free next working day delivery.

  • GCN eDNA Kit – £25 ex. VAT
Buy Your Kit

Prices & Turnaround Times


Our analytical process is very sensitive, robust, and requires careful handling in a controlled laboratory environment. We offer four tiers of turnaround times, all tiers require the purchase of a kit and exclude VAT.

  • 10 Working Days — £125 per analysis
  • 5 Working Days — £175 per analysis
  • 2 Working Days — £225 per analysis
  • Same Day Turnaround — £375 per analysis*

*Subject to availability

The cost of analysis is invoiced to your account once the results are made available. Note: for the first order on new customer accounts the cost of analysis is required to be paid upfront.

 

Did you know?

For an extra £30+VAT per species, you can add the detection of smooth newt and common frog from the same kit to your analysis. Just write in the notes of the sample collection form and we will analyse for both species.

Prices & Turnaround Times

Prices & Turnaround Times

Don’t throw away your old kit! Now available - GCN eDNA Refill Kits!


Have any out of date GCN eDNA Kits lying around? don’t throw them away – you can upgrade them by purchasing our GCN eDNA Refill Kit.

Each year we see around 20% of purchased kits go to waste – i.e. surplus to requirement and not returned to our lab for analysis. We wanted to do something about this so we have created the GCN eDNA Refill Kit which allows you to replace the preservative solution in your expired kits with fresh in-date preservative-filled tubes, meaning that instead of buying a whole new kit, you will only purchase the expirable components which you require.

We believe that this will save 100’s of kgs of waste a year, and that you can finally make use of the gloves, ladle, bag, box and pipette from previously out of date kits. The refill kits can be used to refresh any old unused SureScreen kits that are up to 5 years old.

  • GCN eDNA Refill Kit – £15 ex. VAT
Don’t throw away your old kit! Now available - GCN eDNA Refill Kits!

01.

Quality

Our analysis strictly follows WC1067, the regulated method by Natural England. We are an approved quality provider of eDNA GCN after actively participating in proficiency testing since its introduction. We're proud to say that we scored 100% in the latest proficiency test.

02.

Cost Effective

Our prices have remained the competitive since 2015. We also offer the kit and analysis separately meaning that if testing is no longer required, you will only pay for the cost of the kit, often resulting in large savings for you.

03.

Rapid Service

Receive results within 1,2,5 or 10 working days with no requirement for pre-booking ahead of time. Our high capacity laboratory allows you to send kits back whenever they are ready, and we will ensure the results are sent within your selected deadline.

04.

Improving Sustainability

We have introduced practices to increase sustainability and reduce waste such as our new refill kits, investing in laboratory recycling schemes and switching to carbon neutral products in our sampling kits, in cases we cannot switch out the plastic.

eDNA Survey Season

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Great Crested Newt

Results for great crested newt eDNA surveys are only accepted by Natural England if the samples were collected between April 15th and June 30th, however, we can analyse samples taken all year round for other applications.

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Smooth Newt

Similar to GCN, adults emerge from hibernation on land from late February, returning to freshwater to breed. By October, most smooth newts will be back on land and preparing to hibernate.

Smooth Newt icon
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Returning Your Kits for Analysis


We recommend returning kits by an overnight courier such as DPD, they have depots across the UK and you can even arrange a convenient at home collection using their website. Alternatively we can arrange the collection of kits from your premises to our lab. The cost will be £40+VAT per consignment. We also accept hand-delivered kits between 08:00 and 16.00 Monday to Friday, and by appointment 24/7.

Please send completed kits back to our laboratory at:

SureScreen Scientifics
Morley Retreat
Church Lane, Morley
Derbyshire
DE7 6DE

Returning Your Kits for Analysis

Sample Collection Image

Great Crested Newt eDNA FAQs

Why do you separate the cost of the kit and the analysis?

How much does a GCN eDNA Kit cost?

How much does the analysis cost?

When can I collect a sample?

How many kits do I need per pond?

How do I collect a sample?

How long can I keep the kit before (and after) sampling, is there an expiry date?

Do I need a purchase order (PO) when returning my kits?

Are you part of the GCN eDNA proficiency testing scheme?

How do I return my kits to the laboratory?

How do I dispose of my unused kits?

Where can I find my results?

How do I interpret the results?

Can I send you another company’s kit to analyse?

What are we doing to increase the sustainability of eDNA analysis?