Nature of Business, Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature Of Business, Basis Of Presentation And Principles Of Consolidation

NATURE OF BUSINESS, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

    The accompanying consolidated financial statements of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. and its subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") and with the requirements of Regulation S-X.

    These statements include the accounts of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., and our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries (“IDEXX,” the “Company,” “we” or “our”). We do not have any variable interest entities for which we are the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

    We have included certain terms and abbreviations used throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K in the "Glossary of Terms and Selected Abbreviations.” 

    We develop, manufacture, and distribute products and provide services primarily for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry, dairy and water testing markets. We also sell a line of portable electrolytes and blood gas analyzers and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR (COVID-19 test) used in the human diagnostics market. Our principal line of business, which we refer to as our Companion Animal Group (“CAG”) operating segment, provides diagnostic capabilities and information management solutions for the veterinary market as well as biological materials testing and services for the bioresearch market. Our principal markets for these products and services are the United States (“U.S.”), Europe, Japan, China, and Australia, but we also sell to customers and distributors in many other countries around the world. Our Water operating segment provides innovative testing solutions for the quality and safety of water in our principal markets of the U.S. and Europe, but we also sell to customers in many other countries around the world. Our Livestock, Poultry and Dairy (“LPD”) operating segment provides diagnostic tests and related instrumentation and performs services that are used to manage the health status of livestock and poultry, to improve producer efficiency, and to ensure the quality and safety of milk and food. Our principal markets for these products and services are Europe, China, and Australia but we also sell to customers in many other countries around the world. We also operate a smaller operating segment that comprises products and services for the human medical diagnostics market (“OPTI Medical”). Financial information about our OPTI Medical operating segment is combined and presented with our out-licensing arrangements remaining from our pharmaceutical business in an “Other” category because they do not meet the quantitative or qualitative thresholds for reportable segments. See "Note 3. Revenue Recognition" for additional information regarding disaggregated revenue by segment and major product and service categories and geographical areas. See "Note 17. Segment Reporting " for additional information regarding our reportable operating segments.