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Animal Welfare Legislation,
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Animal Welfare Legislation, Policies and Guidelines

The Animal Welfare Act (PL-89-544 and subsequent amendments) enacted by Congress in 1966 to prevent the sale of stolen pets to research facilities, as well as assure the humane use of animals in research. Ensuing amendments have broadened the scope of the Act, particularly the 1985 additions which developed standards for exercise of dogs and cats and psychological enrichment for primates, and also mandated that each research institution establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to oversee the animal care program. A US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) veterinarian (the agency responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act) reviews the University's animal care program and inspects our animal facilities once a year at a minimum. The University's USDA Registration Number is 55-R-004.

The Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals calls for each research institution using animals in PHS-sponsored projects to provide acceptable written assurance of its compliance with the Policy. The PHS Policy defines criteria for an acceptable institutional animal care program, including make-up and responsibilities for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), training, employee health program, review of the institution's animal care program every six months, etc. Under the PHS Policy an institution must base their programs on the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and either be accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) or perform its own self-assessment. UNC-CH has chosen AAALAC accreditation. The Office for Protection from Research Risks (OPRR) at the National Institutes of Health monitors compliance with the Policy. UNC-CH's PHS Assurance Number is A3410-01.

The Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) is a voluntary peer review organization that accredits programs of animal care and use. Representatives of the Council on Accreditation normally site visit institutions every three years to evaluate compliance with the recommendations contained in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The University has been AAALAC accredited since 1979, and its AAALAC File Number is 000329.

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is a set of standards and recommendations developed to assist institutions in caring for and using animals in ways judged to be scientifically, technically and humanely appropriate. Most recently revised in 1996 under the auspices of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) of the National Research Council the Guide provides direction for institutional policies and responsibilities, animal environment, husbandry and management, veterinary care and physical plant. In accordance with the above-mentioned Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals the University's animal care program follows the Guide's recommendations.