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Week 1- animal health and animal welfare: concepts and legislation

Health- is a state of being free from illness or injury Health encompasses all characteristics of living organisms including sensitivity to stimuli and regulation, movement, reproduction/growth, release of energy form respiration, nutrition and excretion performed at the optimal level Animal health- a state of physical and psychological well-being and of productivity including reproduction. Well-being- being comfortable, healthy and/or happy (relaxed and free from stress/tension)

Animal welfare The Brambell report (1965)- prompted by a critique of intensive livestock farming; animals show unmistakeable signs of suffering from pain, exhaustion, fright, frustration and can experience emotions such as rage, fear, apprehension, frustration and pleasure; the report called for various conditions to be met to ensure good welfare e.g. freedom to movement, companionship, adequate food and drink to prevent suffering hunger and thirst

Five freedoms by the UKs Farm Animal Welfare Council (1979):     

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Freedom from hunger and thirst by ready access to water and a diet to maintain health and vigour Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment Freedom from pain, injury and disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and appropriate company of the animals’ own kind Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment, which avoid mental suffering

Fraser and Broom (1990)- welfare defines the state of an animal as regards its attempts to cope with its environment Duncan (1993)- neither health nor lack of stress nor fitness is necessary and/or sufficient to conclude that an animal had good welfare. Welfare is dependent upon what animals feel Rollin (1993)- not only will welfare mean control of pain and suffering, it will also nurturing and fulfilment of the animals nature Webster (2005)- good welfare is fit and feeling good Dawkins (2008)- are the animals healthy; do they have what they want?

World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)- animals welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a goof state of welfare if it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behaviour and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states e.g. pain. Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and veterinary treatment, appropriate 1

shelter, management, nutrition, humane handling and humane slaughter/killing. Animal welfare refers to the state of the animal; the treatment that an animal receives is covered by other terms such as animal care, animal husbandry and humane treatment. Three elements contribution to animal well-being/Good quality of life (physical status, psychological/mental state and ability to fulfil its normal behavioural needs) and humane death.

Health and welfare regulatory framework: 

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Law acts as a framework of guidelines for people to work with/care for animals (maintain a practical and work knowledge of the law relating to animals- ownership and employed by industry involving animals) Laws (statutes)- created by Parliament, placed on the Statute Book and then termed and referred to as Acts Regulations (orders)- these detail the technical implications of the Acts; government ministers normally add regulations to the legislation (must work with existing laws and be approved by parliament) Welfare codes created- need parliaments approval. Must comply with provisions of codes or can be prosecuted due to committing an offence.

Responsibility for the regulation related to the welfare of farm animals, companion animals and wild animals, kept in either zoos or private collections lies with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in NI Responsibility for policy related to the welfare of animals used in scientific research lies with the home office and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in NI Farm and research animals legislation kept separate due to Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (as stated by the Convention of the Council of Europe) Protection of animals during transport (1968) Protection of animals kept for farming purpose (1976) Protection of animals for slaughter (1979) Protection of vertebrate animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes (1986) Protection of pet animals (1987) Farm animals are now recognised as sentient beings (able to feel) in European countries, which has followed form the EU Treaty of Amsterdam (1999)

Legislation related to health and welfare of farm, companion and wild animals kept in captivity:    

Animal Welfare Act 2006 (AWA) Applies to all vertebrate animals with the exclusion of humans Pet owners have a legal duty of care to meet the five-animal welfare needs of their pets Applicable to all people who work with animals and keep animals for breeding o working purposes whether in a zoo, aquarium, circus, farm-parks, rescue centres, kennels or veterinary practices

The five Animal Needs are the guiding principles of AWA: 2

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An animal should have somewhere suitable to live An animal should have a proper diet, including fresh water An animal should have the ability to express normal behaviour An animal should have for any need to be housed with or apart from other animals An animal should have protection from and treatment of illness and injury

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Things taken into account when owning animals: natural environment, housing feeding and how it relates to other animals Meeting these needs= animal displaying normal behaviour Owners of animals have a responsibility to ensure that the animals remain healthy and protected against illness and disease and this includes preventative treatments as well as reactive treatments Needs provide framework for organisations (RSPCA) to step in prior to animal suffering occurring which was not possible under the previous legislation AWA aims to ensure that people who are caring for animals are legally responsible for their actions AWA allows animals to be seized if mistreated allowing owners to resolve any situations. If prosecuted you may be disqualified from owning a specific type of animal or be disqualified from owning all animals depending of the offence. Up to a year in prison or £20,000 fine According to the AWA, animals may not be sold or given as prizes to children under 16 and that separate sections have been incorporated to address the contentious and emotive issues of tail docking, animal fighting, mutilation and animal poisoning NI legislation- Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011

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Animal Health Act 1981 NI: The Disease of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981: 

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Animal health including: biosecurity, cleaning and disinfection, identification of animals, movement of animal carcasses, animals entering the food chain, transport of live animals, identification of dogs in public places (collar with name and address), National Contingency Plan relating to specific diseases and import and export of animals Provisions for dealing with notifiable disease- must be reported to local authorities Provision for government officials to remove affected animals with infection Specific provisions with regard to rabies control Specific provisions to give powers of enforcement for dealing with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies e.g. BSE and scrapie

Other acts and regulations: 3

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Breeding of Dogs Acts 1973 and 1997- regulates commercial dog breeding establishments; this legislation places limits on when bitches can breed and how many litters Riding establishments Acts 1964 and 1970- regulates commercial riding establishments; t regulates suitability of accommodation and grazing The Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966), amended 1988 and 2002- it prohibits the carrying out of veterinary surgery by unqualified person, except by the owner, a member of the owners’ family or an employee of one of these for the administration of first aid (excludes routine procedures i.e. worming) VSA works with Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Other legislation that regulate large animal identification and recording their movement, the conditions of transport, which stipulates quality of vehicle, journey times, documentation required and driver responsibilities

Animal welfare organisations:      

Organisation may specify in a species ExamplesHealth and welfare- dog trust, RSPCA (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) ad in NI USPCA (Ulster) Conservation- RSPB (royal Society for the Protection of Birds), county wildlife trusts Sport- British Horse Society, the league against cruel sports Registration bodies- the kennel club, cat fancy

Animal rights- animals should be entitled to the same considerations as human beings and it is wrong to use them otherwise e.g. racing, fishing or hunting and in production processes

Legislation related to animals used in research:  

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Animal legislation stared in 19th century Inhumane procedures induced British scientists to attempt some form of self-regulation. Marshall Hall put forward his own proposals for the regulation of experiments in the form of 5 ethical principles: An experiment should never be performed if the necessary info could be obtained by observations No experiment should be performed without a clearly defined and obtainable objective Scientists should be well-informed about the work of their predecessors and peers in order to avoid unnecessary repetition of an experiment Justifiable experiments should be carried out with the least possible infliction of suffering Every experiment should be performed under circumstances that would provide the clearest possible results, thereby diminishing the need for repetition of experiments

Cruelty to Animal Act 1876- permits the infliction of pain but not deliberate cruelty:

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Required scientists and their place of work to be licensed Banned the use of paralysing drugs without special permission Regulated what could be performed without anaesthesia Placed special restriction on experiments involving cats, dogs and horses

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A departmental committee was accordingly appointed by the secretary of state and its recommendations for updating the 1876 Act were presented in the Littlewood Report 1965 Led to the passing of Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

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Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986:  

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The act enables experimental work with animals to be undertaken Permits the licensing of experimental and other scientific procedures carried out on protected animals which may cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm which would otherwise be an offence under legislation This is known as regulated procedures Protected animals- all living vertebrate animals except man and immature forms (human embryos) Animals are living until the cessation of circulation or destruction of its brain, so procedures carried out on decerebrate animals are also subject to the controls Home secretary published guidance on the operation of the controls and codes of practice used in scientific procedures All individuals wishing to work under the Act must be familiar with the guidance and relevant codes of practice Guidance on the operation of the animals (scientific procedures) Act 1986 Housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures Housing and care of animals in designated breeding and supplying establishments

The inspectorate:      

Act recognised to the home office inspectorate Inspectors hold either medical or veterinary qualifications Carry out a programme of visits of inspection to designate establishments and assess and advise the secretary of state and his officials on: Proposed programmes of scientific work submitted as applications for Project Licences The suitability and competence of applicants to carry out the range of techniques set out in applications for Personal Licences The suitability of premises for the range of species and procedures set out in applications of inclusion in an establishments certificate of designation

Local Ethical review Processes (LEPs): 

Under the animal (scientific procedure) act1986 you must have a LEP 5

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LEP- a local framework acting to ensure that all use of animals in the establishment I carefully considered and justified; that proper account is taken of all possibilities for reduction, refinement and replacement and that a high standard of accommodation and care are achieved

The licensing system- the act outlines a system of control based on certificates of designation, project and personal licences

Designation of premises: 

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All places where regulated scientific procedures are performed must be designated as such by a certificate used by the home secretary, unless otherwise authorised in the Project Licence Establishments which breed certain types of animals for use in scientific procedures must be designated as such Schedule 2 of the act lists the animals which are covered by the regulations (mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, dogs, cats, primates, ferrets, gerbils, quails) plus genetically modified animals (pigs and sheep) Establishments that obtain such animals from elsewhere and supply them to labs must also be designated by the home office The certificate of designation is issued to the person who represents the governing authority of the establishment and who is responsible to the home office for ensuring that the conditions of the certificate are observed Rooms holding animals must e registered for purpose of use

Named individuals:     

On the certificate of designation, the individuals responsible to the certificate holder for the veterinary car and day-to-day care of animals are stated Named compliance officer (comply with law) Named animal care and welfare officer (care and welfare) Named veterinary surgeon (health, welfare and treatment) Named training and competence officer (education, training and supervision)

Project and Personal Licences:   

2 licences required for all scientific work controlled by the Act- project and personal Project licence authorises the programme of work Personal licence gives authority to an individual to undertake certain aspects of this work as detailed in the personal licence

Project licence:

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PPL can be granted by the secretary of state only if he is satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated, for each objective, that the plan of work Demonstrates that results sought from the protocol can’t be achieved satisfactorily by any other reasonably practicable method Is the most likely to produce satisfactory results Uses the minimum number of animals Involves animals with the lowest degree of neurophysiological sensitivity Causes the least pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm Secretary of state weighs adverse effects on animals used against the benefit likely to accrue from the work Holder of licence must be someone who undertakes overall responsibility for the scientific direction and control of the work Unless revoked, the PPL will continue in force for the period specified in the licence which can extend to a maximum of 5 years

Personal licence:             

Must hold a PIL to apply for regulated procedures The procedures must be part of a programme of work authorised by PPL No work may be done unless the procedure, the animals used and the place where the work is done are authorised in both personal and project licences PIL is the secretary of state endorsement of the holders’ competence and suitability to carry out specified procedures on specific animals Applicants 18+ years and must provide details of qualifications, training and experience A certificate, detailing the species a d the licensee training modules successfully completed, issued by one of the accredited training bodies must accompany each application If not had licence before, need endorsement from a sponsor PIL will continue in force until revoked but the secretary of state will review each licence at intervals of 5 years New licensees are expected to work under supervision and they must pass their competences assessment Personal licensees must be well conversant with the sections of the PPL which detail the work they will be doingProject background, objective and benefits Plan of work Protocol sheets

Severity bands, limits and humane endpoints:    

Pain and suffering graded into 4 bands- unclassified, mild, moderate and substantial Personal licensee must observe the animal to ensure the allocated severity band is not exceeded Severity assessed at the end of procedure Ensure all adverse effects are identified and counteracted/prevented with and including application of the humane endpoints

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Humane endpoint- predetermined description of adverse effects as is set down in the PPL and if an animals signs of suffering exceeds the limit of the description it is killed

Euthanasia and Schedule 1:  

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Schedule 1- Act specifies methods of killing Only used to kill animals- performed by trained and competent personnel (certificate holder is responsible for compiling and maintaining a register of persons competent to kill by schedule 1 methods) Animals undergoing procedure immediately before it is killed or at the time of killing isn’t covered under schedule 1 and will require separate authorisation on PPL and PIL

Re-use of animals:    

Re-use – animal undergoes a procedure and then undergoes a second unrelated procedure (must be specifically authorised by the home office) Some animals must undergo multiple procedures to complete the experiment If the procedure can be carried out with the use of another animal, it will be done If animal goes through a procedure which requires anaesthesia, then reuse will not normally be permitted

Additional controls:     

Restrictions on the use of neuromuscular blocking agents Prohibit performance of procedures to general public or live showing Empower inspector to require the destruction of an animal which they consider to be suffering excessively Penalise the provision of false info in support of an application Improper disclosure of info obtained in confidence by a person exercising functions under the Act

The Three Rs- replacement, reduction and refinement of animals used in research (principles of humane experimental technique):     

Application of the principles should aim to reduce the adverse effects of animals, improve animal welfare and enhance the quality of the science in which the animals are used These 3 principles are required of UK and European laws on the use of lab animals Under current national and EU legislation each study and at the time of the application for the project licence must show that: The use of animals protected under the act is going to be replaced wherever possible by methods that don’t involve the use of protected animals The number of animals used is reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the scientific objective

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The studies must be refined so that the least possible harm is caused to the animals involved, that is ‘animals of the lowest degree of neuro...