A Guide to Using Animals in Research

Under the Animal Welfare Act, all proposed research using animals must be approved by an Animal Ethics Committee.

Approval is not required under the Animal Remedies Act to do research on animals. However, approval is required under the Animal Remedies Act (section 63A) to sell animals that have been used for research or experiments with an animal remedy.

When food-producing animals are involved, the section 63A approval will usually include the conditions:

• Animals may be sold only for immediate slaughter.
• Slaughter must be at a domestic abattoir (not for export).
• A veterinary certificate must accompany the animals to the abattoir.
• The inspector in charge at the abattoir must be advised at least 24 hours before they are presented for slaughter.

These conditions ensure that there is no breach of Regulation 10 of the Meat Residues Regulations.

In addition, Regulation 8 of the Meat Residues Regulations provides that animals treated with any unlicensed animal remedy must not be presented for slaughter without the approval of the Director-General of MAF. The need to obtain this approval can be avoided by obtaining a provisional licence for the research, so that the animals are treated with a ‘licensed’ animal remedy – even if only provisionally licensed.

The information requirements and cost of obtaining a provisional licence are similar to that of obtaining a section 63A approval. If it is intended to sell experimental food-producing animals after a trial, it is best to apply for a provisional licence so that animals can be slaughtered without the need to obtain MAF Director-General approval. The requirements of a section 63A approval must of course be met.

This guide reflects the requirements under the Animal Remedies Act. Arrangements under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act, when it becomes operational, may be different.