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Animals in research and teaching

Contents

Activities that require licensing
Animals in research and teaching newsletter
Death as an end-point and other regulated high impact procedures
Animal Ethics Committee Newsletter
Wildlife, fish, and quarantine issues - additional permits and requirements
Contacts

To view the attached PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link).

The purpose of the Victorian Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (the Act) is to prevent cruelty to animals, to encourage the considerate treatment of animals, and to improve the level of community awareness about the prevention of cruelty to animals. In this context, Part 3 of the Act regulates the use and supply of animals for "Scientific Procedures" (i.e. the use of animals in research or teaching science, or in testing).

Activities that require licensing

Scientific Procedures
The Act requires that the use of animals for Scientific Procedures be authorised by a Scientific Procedures licence issued by the Head of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), and administered through the DPI Bureau of Animal Welfare as the licensing authority. Scientific Procedures include the use of animals for:

  • acquiring, demonstrating or developing knowledge
  • acquiring, demonstrating, developing or exercising techniques
  • developing or testing the use, hazards, safety, or efficiency of vaccines, substances, drugs, materials or appliances intended for use in connection with human beings or animals.
Production of biological products must be licensed if those products are for use in research or teaching, or if the techniques used are considered to be sufficiently pioneering. In addition, the breeding of a new strain or hybrid of a genetically modified animal is considered to be a Scientific Procedure and must be authorised by a Scientific Procedures licence.

All fields of science are covered by the licensing requirements, including but not limited to medical, dental, veterinary, agricultural, behavioural, ecological, pest management and biological sciences. All sectors operating in Victoria must comply, including private company, government, university, hospital, research institute, TAFE, school, volunteer organisations, and independent individuals.

Animal types
Use of the following animal types and development stages in Scientific Procedures must be licensed:
  • all fish and amphibians
  • mammals, birds and reptiles above the mid-point in gestation
  • adult decapod crustaceans
  • adult cephalopods.
Breeding for Scientific Procedures
The breeding of certain animals in Victoria for use in Scientific Procedures must also be licensed. These animals are termed Specified Animals and are guinea pigs; rats, mice, rabbits other than rats, mice and rabbits bred in their native habitat; and non-human primates. Breeding of these animals for supply to other institutions must be authorised by a Specified Animal Breeding Licence.

Excluded activities
Animal uses that do not require licensing for Scientific Procedures are:
  • the treatment of an animal for the purpose of promoting its health or welfare by or in accordance with the instructions of a veterinary practitioner
  • the conduct of animal husbandry carried out in accordance with a Code of Practice and
  • the collection, taking, banding and marking of wildlife. The use of microchips, and tracking, data storage, and telemetry devices, however, must be licensed.
Licensing requirements are prescribed in the Victorian Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 and Regulations 2008.

Death as an end-point and other regulated high impact procedures

"Death as an end-point" (DAEP) Scientific Procedures are rare, potentially highly intrusive procedures where the death of an animal is the measure for evaluating an activity, and where the animal will not be killed humanely prior its death (see the Australian Code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (external link). Death as an endpoint procedures may only be carried out for the achievement of prescribed, highly beneficial outcomes, and only where the objective cannot be achieved by any other scientific means (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2008). These procedures must be approved by the Minister for Agriculture, and any modifications to a previously approved DAEP project must also be submitted to the Minister for consideration. An application for ministerial approval to conduct these procedures may be obtained from the Forms page.

It is an offence liable for prosecution for a person to carry out Scientific Procedures involving the eye of an animal to determine the irritancy of a chemical or biological agent, unless those procedures are done under terminal anaesthesia.

Animals Ethics Committee Newsletter

The Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) Newsletter provides a source of general information and updates for AEC members and other parties interested in the area of use of animals in Scientific Procedures. The Newsletter is emailed to all persons on the Bureau of Animal Welfare animals in research and teaching contact list. The latest edition (PDF 1.3MB) was published in December 2008, and earlier copies may be accessed from the Guidelines and Resources page. Please contact the Bureau on animal.welfare@dpi.vic.gov.au for inclusion on the email list.

Wildlife, fish, and quarantine issues - additional permits and requirements

The use and keeping of animals in Victoria is overseen by a number of government agencies, with concerns covering the conservation of wildlife and fish, and quarantine issues. I f animals are used for Scientific Procedures or bred as Specified Animals, there may be additional requirements to those that are covered on these webpages that relate specifically to animal welfare and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Information should be sought from the following agencies if there is a likelihood that the following areas are involved.
  • Wildlife Research Permits (Department of Sustainability and the Environment) are required for the use wildlife for research or teaching. Contact environmental.research@dse.vic.gov.au, or the Customer Service Centre on (03) 136 186.
  • A permit and or other authorisation under the Fisheries Act 1995 is required to translocate and stock fish in Victoria for the purpose of research (Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Division). Contact the Customer Service Centre on (03) 136 186
  • Pest Animal Research/Education Permits are required for the keeping of a number of species. Contact the Pest Animal Permit Administration Officer at PO Box 124 Benalla Victoria 3672 or the Customer Service Centre on (03) 136 186.
Contacts

For further information regarding use of animals for research and teaching in Victoria, please contact the Bureau of Animal Welfare at animal.welfare@dpi.vic.gov.au or (03) 9217 4425.


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