Animals Used for Scientific Purposes Working Group

Documents - Workshop September 2007

Issue Template - Animals used for Scientific Purposes

Animals Used for Scientific Purposes Working Group

The range of animals covered by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) includes all vertebrates (and some invertebrates) that are used in science for research, teaching, testing and production (e.g. pharmaceuticals).  These include animals used in a laboratory setting, as well as companion, farm animals and wildlife that are being used for scientific purposes, not necessarily within a lab environment.

DEFINITION – Animal Health

Animal health is defined as “a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being which allows for optimal survival and perpetuation (reproduction and other related functions) and includes the absence of disease or infirmity.” This is based on the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of “human health,” and includes reproductive health in order to preserve not just “its own integrity” but the integrity of the population or species (especially threatened or endangered species). 
The definition should recognize that

• The drive for survival is strong and can co-exist with ill health. 
• For optimal animal performance and thus animal health to be realized, the ecosystem must be healthy.

The definition should include the following:

• A way to determine when health is compromised
• Where actions/interventions are necessary to return to a state of acceptable health 
• When to enforce sanctions

DEFINITION – Animal Welfare

“The state where an animal is free from distress, in harmony with its environment, and where its physical health and behavioural needs are fulfilled and survival and reproduction are assured, as defined by scientific knowledge (including ethology) and expert opinion.”
The definition should include:

• A means to determine when welfare is compromised
• Where actions/interventions are necessary to return the welfare of the animal to “harmony,” or
• When to enforce sanctions
• Ethical considerations (as a starting point, the NAHS should recognize that animals have value in and of themselves)

ISSUES related to animals used for scientific research

Broad issues to address:
Animal Health:

• Consider animals in their own right and value in and of themselves, not always relating to the human condition.
• Include risks to animals from pathogens transmitted between animals.

• Include key invertebrate species (e.g. corals, specific insect species, crustaceans) and all vertebrate species, as many animals are sentinel to specific environments.

Human health: The NAHS must comprehensively survey and document the following:

• Scope of human engagement with animals
• Context of the engagement
• Risks to humans and animals
• Risks stemming from the management of animal production systems in a way that creates risks to humans and ecosystems (e.g., mega feedlot or fish farms, their diseases and impact on the ecosystem)

Environment health:  The NAHS should include a careful inventory of non-native and, in particular, invasive species, and their impact on native species and the biota.
Specific issues to address:

1. There is a lack of harmonized regulations and policies across federal and provincial jurisdictions that incorporate CCAC policies and guidelines to ensure that the requirement for the use of all animals in science is under mandatory standards.
2. There are insufficient mechanisms to minimize the health risks associated with importing and transporting “disease-free” animals nationally and internationally, and between facilities.
3. There are knowledge gaps in the understanding of animals.
4. There is a lack of national policies addressing wildlife in science.
5. There is insufficient access to “clean” animals and animal products.
6. Current standards and operational requirements of CCAC members require review to ensure adequate compliance.
7. The full range of potential impacts of human interaction with animals used for science is not well understood.
8. There is a need to look at antimicrobial use due to emerging trends of bacterial resistance.
9. No mechanism exists to ensure that test results of non-reportable disease(s) are provided to vendor/farmer.
10. The adequacy of control measures for the viruses used in research should be examined.
11. There is a need to look at funding sources in areas where animal health and welfare is affected.

PROPOSED NAHS OUTCOMES

1. Recognize that a healthy environment (ecosystem), including the protection of ecosystem health through various strategies, is not limited to prudent animal health practices.
2. Sustain the health of animal populations by maintaining their viability and genetic diversity.
3. Identify and manage the factors that lead to suboptimal animal health.
4. Continue to improve the quality of life for animals.
5. Protect Canadians from animal-related health risks.
6. Strengthen domestic and international confidence in the integrity of Canada’s animal health, environment protection and food safety systems.
7. Minimize the economic, social and environmental consequences of animal diseases.
8. Develop an integrated governance system to mitigate animal health risks.
9. Develop an integrated governance system to improve and ensure animal welfare.
10. Implement evidence-based assessments to measure the progress on all aspects of the finalized NAHS.

The outcomes of the NAHS should NOT

1. limit property rights, or if it does, provide compensation.
2. lead to loss of knowledge or delays in knowledge acquisition.
3. contribute to the loss of historical and cultural knowledge concerning animals and their husbandry.
4. increase material and financial costs associated with caring for animals (e.g. farm gate returns and production costs, animal research infrastructure and operational costs, as well as grant funding).
5. address risks in a local nature that do not present risks to the general animal population, ecosystem or humans.
6. cause social, community derangements, and disorder, owing to the social impacts of limitations on customary animal use.
7. hinder the advancement of knowledge because of increased regulatory burden