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Breeding and acquisition of animals
Contents
Breeding of a new strain or hybrid of a genetically modified animal
Licensing requirements for breeding for use in Scientific Procedures
The Specified Animals Breeding Licence (SABL)
Acquisition of Specified Animal for use in Scientific Procedures or breeding in Victoria
Acquisition of non-Specified Animals for use in Scientific Procedures in Victoria
Contacts
Breeding of a new strain or hybrid of a genetically modified animal
The breeding of a new strain or a hybrid of a genetically modified animal is considered to be a Scientific Procedure, and must be authorised by a Scientific Procedures Premises Licence. Refer to the Licensing of Scientific Procedures page.
Licensing requirements for breeding for use in Scientific Procedures
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 requires that the breeding of Specified Animals (i.e.guinea pigs; rats, mice, rabbits other than rats, mice and rabbits bred in their native habitat; and non-human primates) in Victoria for use in Scientific Procedures be authorised by a licence issued by the Head of the Department of Primary Industries.
A Scientific Procedures Premises Licence may be used to authorise this activity. This breeding, however, may be for the use of the licence holder only. The SPPL does not authorise breeding of Specified Animals for supply to other institutions. If breeding for supply is undertaken, a Specified Animals Breeding Licence is required. In line with the principle of Reduction however, if the numbers of Specified Animals approved for use in a project under a SPPL are subsequently found to be in excess of project requirements, these animals may be passed on to other licence holders without the need for a Specified Animals Breeding Licence. It is expected that these numbers will be very small.
There is no requirement that the breeding of non-specified animals in Victoria for use in Scientific Procedures be licensed.
The Specified Animals Breeding Licence (SABL)
A Specified Animal Breeding Licence authorises the breeding within Victoria of Specified Animals for supply to other institutions for use in Scientific Procedures. Practices which may involve the medical or physical treatment of Specified Animals or the extraction or derivation of tissues, materials or substances from their bodies may be authorised by the SABL only if they are necessary for the breeding, sale, and delivery of the animals. Such practices must also be carried out in compliance with the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (external link) and the Victorian Code of practice for the housing and care of laboratory mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits.
Licences will only be issued to legal entities, i.e. entities able to be prosecuted in Victoria. Legal entities include natural persons and bodies corporate. Bodies corporate include ASIC-registered Australian and international companies, institutions incorporated by statute of an Australian parliament, and associations incorporated under Australian State or Territory incorporation legislation, such as through Consumer Affairs Victoria. An Australian Business Number alone does not indicate body corporate status.
The Licence Nominee
An individual must be nominated to be responsible to the licence holder for procedures under a Specified Animal breeding Licence - the "Licence Nominee". The Licence Nominee is the first point of contact for the Bureau of Animal Welfare as the licensing authority, and will be corresponded with on all matters relating to the licence, such as breaches of licence conditions, licence audits, reporting of animal use, and Animal Ethics Committee composition and conduct. This person must hold a position in the licensed institution such that they are familiar with the work being conducted, yet senior enough to be able to effect change where necessary.
The Animal Ethics Committee
An applicant for a Specified Animal Breeding Licence must have an agreement with a properly constituted and functioning Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) to be nominated to oversee the breeding and facilities. The nominated AEC will be listed on the licence and no other AEC may be used. A properly constituted and functioning Animal Ethics Committee is one conforming with the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (external link).
The nominated AEC may be established by the licence holder or be an AEC run by another institution. In either case, responsibility for the conduct of the AEC remains with the licence holder. If the AEC does not operate in a legal manner, the licence holder must alter the AEC practices or cease to use that AEC. If an AEC is no longer used the licence holder must stop operations with animals until a replacement AEC can be found and an application made to the Bureau to have the replacement AEC listed on the licence.
A licence holder wishing to breed Specified Animals must apply for approval to the nominated AEC for:
- the breeding and related practices
- the premises to be used
- the personnel involved.
Consideration must be given to the principles of "the 3 R.s" - i.e. whether:
- Alternatives to animal use have been considered (Replacement)
- Only minimal numbers of animal necessary for the required outcome are planned to be used (Reduction)
- Appropriate pain relief and environments will be provided (Refinement)
Organisations or individuals undertaking activities not approved by an AEC, or under the approval of an improperly constituted or functioning AEC are liable to prosecution.
Further information may be found on the Information on Animal Ethics Committees page.
Premises
To hold a Specified Animal Breeding Licence, an institution must legally occupy (own, lease, or hold under formal agreement) the premises used. Due to the specialised use, Scientific Premises are subject to increased levels of scrutiny of upkeep, maintenance of appropriate environments, and establishment of emergency systems to protect animal welfare. Breeding premises are listed on the licence and are regularly inspected by the Bureau of Animal Welfare as the licensing authority, as well as by the Animal Ethics Committee.
Other licence conditions
Full details of the Specified Animal Breeding Licence conditions may be found under Regulation 98 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2008. These conditions will also be listed on the licence. Extensive penalties are provided for under the Act on conviction of natural persons or bodies corporate that breach licence conditions.
Forms
Forms to apply for a licence, or to apply to vary a licence:
Acquisition of Specified Animals for use in Scientific Procedures or breeding in Victoria
Specified Animals for use in Scientific Procedures may be acquired:
- within Victoria from a holder of a Specified Animal Breeding Licence
- outside Victoria and within Australia from institutions which comply with all relevant requirements that are imposed by the State or Territory in which the breeding premises are located
- outside Australia from institutions which comply with all relevant requirements that are imposed by the country in which the breeding premises are located
In addition, a Specified Animal that has been bred in its native habitat (e.g. a non-human primate) must not be used for Scientific Procedures or for breeding for those purposes.
Additional requirements for the acquisition and transport of animals for use in Scientific Procedures and breeding are listed in the Australian Code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (external link).
Acquisition of non-Specified Animals for use in Scientific Procedures in Victoria
The Code of practice for the use of animals from municipal pounds in scientific procedures regulates the acquisition of pound animals for use in Scientific Procedures in Victoria.
In addition, the acquisition and transport of animals must be governed by the requirements of the Australian Code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (external link). Among other things, this states that animals should be obtained from breeding and supply facilities that maintain conditions consistent with that Code, or relevant industry code.
Contacts
For further information regarding the licensing of breeding animals in Victoria for use in Scientific Procedures, please contact the Bureau of Animal Welfare at animal.welfare@dpi.vic.gov.au or (03) 9217 4425.
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