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Ethics

The use of animals in research is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2012. This law protects all animals used in procedures for scientific purposes and lays out guidelines as to how the animals should be housed and cared for.

Home Office licensing

There are three licenses needed from the Home Office to carry out animal research:

  1. An establishment license for the place at which the work is carried out.
  2. A project license for each individual research project which should outline what work is to be done and why animals are required for it.
  3. A personal license for each researcher that outlines the techniques and procedures that can be performed on the animals.

Related links

The 3R's

The University of Surrey has embedded the principles of the 3Rs in relation to animal research:

Replacement 

The University strives to replace animal research with alternative methods wherever available, including imaging, computer and mathematical modelling, human volunteer studies, cell culture methodologies etc.  The University was recently awarded a grant of £424,344 for a bovine alveolus model to replace cattle in the study of host-pathogen interactions in bovine tuberculosis.

Read our feature on tackling tuberculosis with a model cow lung to see how the University is using alternatives to animals in its research.

Reduction 

The AWERB always ensures that experiments using animals are designed to use as few as possible to answer the scientific question being addressed. The ability to extract as much data as possible from an experiment is paramount, and through data archiving, researchers can also reanalyse data from prior experiments.

The University is reducing the number of animals kept in the facility through an appropriate breeding strategy and has received funding of  £434,851 for reducing animal use using Dictyostelium to study the genetic basis of Mycobacterium bovis intracellular infection in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

Refinement

The animals are housed under strictly controlled conditions in the facilities and all scientific procedures are carried out in a humane fashion.  As part of the approval process, the effect of any experimentation on animal welfare is a major consideration and the research is designed to minimise the use of invasive or distressing procedures wherever possible, and anaesthetic and analgesics are always used where appropriate. A new method of handling mice using tunnels have come about to ensure better welfare and reduce stress. 

two laboratory mice one in cardboard tube

Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body

The Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) reviews applications to use animals for research. AWERB oversees the establishment’s use of animals and encourages high standards of animal welfare, creating a culture of care, discussing ways in which the 3Rs can be actively implemented and by sharing experience and best practice.

The core responsibilities of the review body are as follows:

  • Advise staff and researches on matters relating to the welfare of the animals in relation to their acquisition, accommodation, care and use
  • Advise on the application and implementation of the 3R’s (see below)
  • Ethical evaluation of all projects involving animals by weighting the harms and benefits of the research before submission to the Home Office
  • Establishing and reviewing processes for monitoring, training and reporting
  • Retrospective reviews of research projects carried out in the facility, the effects on the animals should be taken into account
  • Reviews of the progress and outcomes of ongoing projects and whether there are further opportunities to implement the 3R’s
  • Advise on re-homing schemes.

You can find below the minutes from our last 6 meetings. Older minutes may be available upon request.

AWERB meeting minutes

AWERB minutes - March2022 (PDF)
AWERB minutes - May 2022 (PDF)
AWERB minutes - July 2022 (PDF)
AWERB minutes - September2022 (docx)
AWERB minutes - November2022 (PDF)
AWERB minutes - January 2023 (PDF)

Named persons

The animal facilities at the University of Surrey are staffed by a team of dedicated animal technicians. These animal technicians are trained in correct handling methods, animal husbandry and in identifying signs of pain, distress and disease in the animals. Animals housed within the facility are checked at least once daily by the animal technicians and, along with the licence holders, they are responsible for the care and welfare of laboratory animals and their environments.  

All staff and researchers who work with animals receive rigorous training, there competencies are assessed and reviewed on a regular basis, ensuring they work with care and compassion and an overriding commitment to a culture of care.

Establishment Licence Holder

The establishment Licence Holder (ELH) has overall responsability for compliance with the Animal (Scientific Procedure) Act 1986. 

At Surrey the ELH is a member of the Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA).

Related bodies

The links below are provided for further information, the websites do not give information on behalf of the University of Surrey and the University accepts no responsibility for the content of the websites.