Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 701.0

Animal Care and Use

Purpose
The following is the policy of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (hereafter referred to as UAF) regarding animal care and use. It applies to all research and teaching activities involving live, vertebrate animals conducted at UAF, or by UAF faculty, staff, or students when acting as UAF representatives at off-campus locations.

UAF endorses and supports the responsible use of animals in research and teaching. All individuals involved in the care and use of live, vertebrate animals used in research and teaching activities have both individual and collective responsibilities for compliance with the UAF's Policy on Animal Care and Use as well as with all other applicable laws and regulations pertaining to animal care and use.
Policy
1. UAF endorses and will comply with the following:
  1. All applicable provisions of the Animal Welfare Act, its amendments, and the regulations formulated to implement this act (Animal Welfare Act and Regulations [AWAR]).
  2. U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training.
  3. The Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy). UAF will maintain an Animal Welfare Assurance, as required by the PHS Policy, with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).
  4. All applicable provisions of other federal and state statutes and regulations relating to live, vertebrate animals used in research and teaching activities.
  5. For standards of euthanasia in all categories of research and teaching, UAF complies with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2020 Edition or any subsequent revisions.
2. UAF recognizes the classification of animal use in research and teaching into the following categories for the purpose of specifying the standards for animal care and use within each category. These three categories and the corresponding standards are:
  1. Biomedical or sociobehavioral research and teaching. This is research and teaching whose goal is to generate or communicate knowledge that will contribute to improving the health and well-being of humans and/or animals not involved in agricultural production. For biomedical or sociobehavioral research and teaching UAF endorses and will comply with the standards for animal care and use described in the current version of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (“the Guide”), published by the National Research Council. Anyone conducting biomedical or sociobehavioral research and teaching activities with a live, vertebrate species not covered by these documents should work closely with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Attending Veterinarian (AV) (see Items IV-VI below) to develop appropriate guidelines for the particular species being studied.
  2. Field research and teaching. This is research and teaching whose goal is to generate or communicate knowledge that will contribute to our understanding of animals living in the wild. As defined in the AWAR, field studies are conducted on free-living wild animals in their natural habitat. It excludes any study involving invasive procedures or that harms or materially alters the behavior of the animal(s) being studied. For field research and teaching, the University applies the standards for animal care and use described in the following documents and any subsequent revisions.
    1. For mammals: Guidelines of the American Society of Mammologists for The Use of Wild Mammals in Research, American Society of Mammologists, 2011.
    2. For birds: Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research, The Ornithological Council, Washington, DC, 3rd ed., 2010.
    3. For amphibians and reptiles: Guidelines for the use of live amphibians and reptiles in field research. Joint publication of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, The Herpetologists' League, and Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2nd ed., 2004.
    4. For fishes: Guidelines for the use of fishes in field research. Joint publication of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, American Fisheries Society, and American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists. Fisheries, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 16-23, 1988.
  3. Agricultural Research. Research and teaching activities involving agricultural animals, whether conducted by UAF or the Division of Agriculture, will be reviewed by the Division of Agriculture IACUC.
3. Biomedical research involving dogs, cats or nonhuman primates (NHPs) is not permitted at UAF nor by UAF faculty, staff, and students at off-campus locations.
  
  Non-research activities involving the use of cats and dogs may be permitted on a case-by-case basis, provided that 1) animals are not housed in any University of Arkansas facility; 2) animal owner(s) are present at all times; and 3) no invasive procedures are conducted on the animals. Such activities should be discussed with the Director of Research Compliance and the Attending Veterinarian and may be subject to further review and approval by the IACUC. Activities involving cats and/or dogs and that meet the AWAR definition of an exhibition or demonstration must be reported annually to USDA APHIS and are subject to additional oversight.

Implementation
1. The Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (VCRI) has been delegated by the Chancellor to serve as the Institutional Official (IO) and shall have overall responsibility for the animal program. The IO is responsible for submitting documentation to OLAW, including the annual report; reports of noncompliance; and the Animal Welfare Assurance. The IO is also responsible for submitting the annual report to USDA, as applicable, along with any notifications of noncompliance.
2. All research or teaching activities using live, vertebrate animals, regardless of their purpose or source of funding, must be described in an Animal Use Protocol (AUP) that has been reviewed and approved, in writing, by the IACUC.
3. A risk assessment shall be conducted for all projects involving the use of live, vertebrate animals. An occupational health program will be provided by UAF, in accordance with its OLAW Assurance, for at-risk personnel who work in animal facilities or who have substantial animal contact, including contact with animal tissues. Instructors, principal investigators, facility managers, and supervisors shall maintain records demonstrating compliance with this requirement.
IACUC
1. Faculty members of the IACUC are nominated by the deans of colleges conducting research overseen by the IACUC and are appointed by the VCRI. Other members of the committee are appointed at the discretion of the VCRI. At a minimum, membership comprises the following:
  1. One representative from a department in an area other than the biological sciences (a non- animal user);
  2. One scientist with experience conducting animal research;
  3. One representative from the surrounding community who is not otherwise affiliated with UAF and is not a member of the immediate family of anyone affiliated with UAF;
  4. The Attending Veterinarian; and
  5. Ex officio and non-voting, the Director of Research Compliance.
    
    Additional members and alternates may be appointed to the IACUC at the discretion of the VCRI. The committee must comprise at least five members in accordance with the PHS Policy. At least one member of the committee must hold a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Not more than two members shall be appointed from the same administrative unit at the departmental level of the University. A quorum (50% + 1) of voting members must be present to conduct official IACUC business at a convened meeting. An alternate member may be called upon to attend a meeting in place of any committee member in order to achieve quorum. An alternate member may only serve in the place of one voting member at a time.
    
    The VCRI, or his/her designee, will designate a chairperson from among the members who has served at least one full year on the IACUC. When the chairperson is unavailable for a meeting, the vice chair, designated by the VCRI, will serve in his/her absence. The acting chair will be someone who has served at least one full year on the IACUC.
2. On behalf of UAF, the IACUC has the following functions:
  1. Ensures compliance with the AWAR, the PHS Policy, institutional policies and procedures, and all other applicable regulations and guidelines pertaining to the care and use of animals;
  2. Recommends policies and procedures concerning the use, care, housing, and disposal of live, vertebrate animals held or used for research, teaching, or other activities;
  3. Reviews at least semi-annually UAF’s program for humane care and use of animals;
  4. Inspects at least semi-annually all UAF animal facilities, including satellite facilities, that are involved in non-agricultural research and teaching activities and field research and teaching;
  5. Reviews concerns involving the care and use of animals at UAF;
  6. Makes written recommendations to the IO regarding any aspect of UAF’s animal program, facilities, or personnel training including violations, deficiencies, and deviations from approved practices;
  7. Notifies, through the IO, OLAW and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US. Department of Agriculture, as well as the funding agency, if significant deficiencies exist after ample time for correction.
  8. Reviews and approves or disapproves AUPs;
  9. Reviews and approves modifications to AUPs, including significant changes;
  10. Inspects, at its discretion, facilities at which AUP activities are being conducted;
  11. Is authorized to suspend any activity involving live, vertebrate animals. The suspension process must adhere to federal regulations and guidelines, as well as university procedures. Corrective actions are implemented in consultation with the IO. The IO will provide written notice of the suspension, along with a description of corrective actions, to the regulatory authorities.
Attending Veterinarian
1. The Attending Veterinarian shall be appointed by and report to the IO. The Attending Veterinarian a) is a voting member of the IACUC; b) provides veterinary care to laboratory animals housed within the Central Laboratory Animal Facility and the Engineering Research Center as recommended in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; c) is available to consult with researchers as they develop research methods; and d) is generally available to the research community of UAF, to provide training to investigators as needed in the areas of proper animal handling, use of anesthetic agents and analgesics, acceptable methods of euthanasia, and oversight of surgical procedures.
2. An Alternate Attending Veterinarian is appointed by the IO, to serve in the absence of the Attending Veterinarian and is authorized to act on their behalf.
Reporting Noncompliance and/or Animal Mistreatment
Anyone i) believing that animals used in research and teaching are being mistreated or abused; or ii) having a concern that applicable regulations, policies, and/or guidance are being violated should report his/her concern to the chair of the IACUC, to any animal care staff member, to the Director of Research Compliance, or to the IO. Such reports may also be made anonymously through this link (click here). An investigation will then be made by a subcommittee appointed by the Chair. If deficiencies in animal care and use are observed, the IACUC will coordinate with the AV and IO as appropriate to take the necessary steps to correct the deficiencies and ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, policies and guidance.

Revised January 25, 2021
Revised October 13, 2014
Reformatted for Web October 9, 2014
Revised February 28, 2004
April 11, 1996