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Animal Welfare Act

The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 and its subsequent amendments regulate the transportation, purchase, care and treatment of animals used in research, for exhibitions, and sold as pets. The Act defines 'animals' as any live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, and wild animal species intended for use in research. To date, the Act does not cover farm animals, birds or laboratory rats and mice.

Recent amendments to the Animal Welfare Act address such issues as exercise for dogs; care of nonhuman primates to ensure their psychological well-being; the composition and duties of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; responsibilities of the attending veterinarian; and training of all personnel using laboratory animals in experimentation. They also require the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to review all protocols using vertebrate animals to make certain that they meet the criteria listed in the amendments and to conduct semiannual inspections of all animal study areas and animal facilities.

The Animal Welfare Act is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Research facilities are subject to unannounced inspections by USDA veterinarians, and are required to file an annual report listing the species and numbers of animals used in research, and certifying that anesthetic, analgesic, and tranquilizing drugs were used appropriately during research and testing.

Failure of an investigator to comply with USDA regulations may result in civil or criminal prosecution and withholding of funding for, and suspension of, animal research activities. Any person observing a violation of the Animal Welfare Act should report this to a member of the IACUC. Under the Act "...no facility employee, committee member, or laboratory personnel shall be discriminated against, or subject to any reprisal, for reporting violations of any regulation or standard under the Act..."