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Who decides when an agricultural species needs an animal use protocol?

Lab Animal volume 48, pages 187–188 (2019)Cite this article

This scenario introduces the debate regarding whether training individuals on basic management procedures with agricultural animals requires an approved IACUC protocol. While the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) does not cover this explicitly, Great Eastern University is a PHS assured institution. The key elements of the PHS assurance to consider pertaining to this scenario include: 1) which components of the institution are covered by the Assurance Letter; and 2) what is the institutional commitment to the AWA, the US Government Principles1, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals2. Even though agricultural research is not typically funded by PHS, the PHS Assurance Letter requires compliance with the regulations and guidelines listed above.

Unfortunately, the scope of the PHS assurance at Great Eastern University is unclear. It is possible that the College of Agriculture is not included in the Assurance Letter. In this case, it becomes important to evaluate the intended primary use of the animals – food animal production and management or biomedical teaching. USDA Animal Care Policy 17 states that “farm animals used for… the training of human or veterinary medical personnel in medical methods and procedures” would be regulated, while farm animals used for production purposes or agricultural teaching would be exempt from AWA coverage3. Therefore, only the former would necessitate an IACUC protocol. In this case, the procedures appear to be agricultural training and thus would not require a protocol.

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References

  1. Research Animal Committee. U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training II. (Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC, 1985).

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  2. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. 8th edn (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2011).

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  3. United States Department of Agriculture. Animal Care Policy Manual (2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Care Services, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Elizabeth Nunamaker & Tinika Johns

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  1. Elizabeth Nunamaker
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  2. Tinika Johns
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Nunamaker.

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Nunamaker, E., Johns, T. Who decides when an agricultural species needs an animal use protocol?. Lab Anim 48, 187–188 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-019-0330-x

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