AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

It is not difficult to see that humans (and our veterinary patients) have benefitted from animal research conducted in the last few hundred years. However, alongside this progress, there has been increasing community concern internationally on the use of animals. On the whole, there is community support for animal use in research and teaching. However, this support comes with a condition to conduct it in an ethical manner, which in turn has created increasing demand for transparency in animal use.  Within the context of research and teaching, one of the main philosophical issues of animal ethics relates to balancing the relative interests of humans and non-human animals. The laws governing animal research and teaching attempt to achieve this balance. In Australia, this consists of state laws (such as the New South Wales Animal Research Act and Regulation) and a national Code (the Australian Code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes). This Code was established in 1969 on the initiative of the scientific community – the users of these animals. The Code requires all institutions involved in the use of animals for research or teaching to have an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC), whose responsibility it is to ensure that animal use is justified and that the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) are adhered to.  This talk discusses the complexities of animal ethics at a large tertiary education and research institution, the strategies employed by the institution to manage and address associated challenges, and the role of the institution's Animal Welfare Veterinarian within this complex environment.