United States Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training
The PHS Policy implements nine U.S. Government Principles that are the foundation
for humane care and use of laboratory animals in this country. These principles were
developed by the Interagency Research Animal Committee and adopted in 1985 by the
Office of Science and Technology Policy. The principles are:
I. The transportation, care, and use of animals should be in accordance with the Animal
Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et. seq.) and other applicable Federal laws, guidelines, and
policies.*
II. Procedures involving animals should be designed and performed with due
consideration of their relevance to human or animal health, the advancement of
knowledge, or the good of society.
III. The animals selected for a procedure should be of an appropriate species and
quality and the minimum number required to obtain valid results. Methods such as
mathematical models, computer simulation, and in vitro biological systems should be
considered.
IV. Proper use of animals, including the avoidance or minimization of discomfort,
distress, and pain when consistent with sound scientific practices, is imperative. Unless
the contrary is established, investigators should consider that procedures that cause
pain or distress in human beings may cause pain or distress in other animals.
V. Procedures with animals that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or
distress should be performed with appropriate sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia.
Surgical or other painful procedures should not be performed on unanesthetized
animals paralyzed by chemical agents.
VI. Animals that would otherwise suffer severe or chronic pain or distress that cannot be
relieved should be painlessly killed at the end of the procedure or, if appropriate, during
the procedure.
VII. The living conditions of animals should be appropriate for their species and
contribute to their health and comfort. Normally, the housing, feeding, and care of all
animals used for biomedical purposes must be directed by a veterinarian or other
scientist trained and experienced in the proper care, handling, and use of the species
being maintained or studied. In any case, veterinary care shall be provided as
indicated.
VIII. Investigators and other personnel shall be appropriately qualified and experienced
for conducting procedures on living animals. Adequate arrangements shall be made for
their in-service training, including the proper and humane care and use of laboratory
animals.
IX. Where exceptions are required in relation to the provisions of these Principles, the
decisions should not rest with the investigators directly concerned but should be made,
with due regard to Principle II, by an appropriate review group such as an institutional
animal care and use committee. Such exceptions should not be made solely for the
purposes of teaching or demonstration.
*For guidance throughout these Principles, the reader is referred to the Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals prepared by the Institute for Laboratory Animal
Research, National Academy of Sciences.
Animal Welfare Regulations
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), initially enacted in 1966 and amended in 1970, 1976,
1985, 1990, and 2002, is the principal Federal statute governing the sale, handling, transport
and use of animals. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/Animal Care (AC) implements the AWA
through the Animal Welfare Regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title
9, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Parts 1, 2, and 3.
The AWA applies to all species of warm blooded vertebrate animals used for research,
testing, or teaching, except farm animals used for agricultural research. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 amendments to the regulations that implement the AWA currently also exempt birds, rats of the
genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus, bred for use in research.
The 1985 amendments to the AWA (Public Law 99-198, the Improved Standards for
Laboratory Animals Act) were considered a watershed for laboratory animal welfare
because for the first time the AWA clarified humane care, minimization of pain and
distress, consideration of alternatives, institutional animal care and use committees,
psychological well-being of primates, and exercise for dogs.
Compliance with the Animal Welfare Regulations, as applicable, is an absolute
requirement of the PHS Policy.
Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding, USDA, FDA and NIH cooperate
with one another to facilitate implementation of, and foster institutional compliance with,
the Animal Welfare Regulations and the PHS Policy.
Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia
The PHS Policy requires that euthanasia be conducted in a manner that is consistent
with the professional guidance for relieving pain and suffering of animals found in the
Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia
(Report). This Report is updated from time to time; the most recent version is dated 2000.
The Report discusses only methods and agents supported by data from scientific
studies. It emphasizes professional judgment, technical proficiency, and humane
handling of the animals. Deviations from the Report are permitted by the PHS Policy
only if the IACUC determines that they are justified for scientific reasons.
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Table of Contents
Introduction ||
Relevant Documents ||
Terms and Concepts
Animal Program ||
IACUC ||
Reports and Records
Glossary and Resources