5 Comments
I wanted to let our community know that last week our Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare announced that NIH will adopt the 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Since 1985, we have required that institutions base their animal programs on the Guide, and it has been 15 years since the last Guide update. The 8th edition includes important revisions to ensure the continued humane care and use of vertebrate animals in the research we support.
Beginning January 1, 2012, institutions that receive NIH funding for animal activities must base their animal care and use program on the 8th edition of the Guide. By December 31, 2012, you must complete at least one of your twice yearly inspections using the new Guide. We understand it will take some time to implement changes, so all the changes need not be complete by the end of next year, but an implementation plan should be in place.
To help clarify how we expect institutions to implement the new Guide, we created position statements and provided the ability to comment on your understanding of those statements. We also posted all the comments received during the public comment period earlier this year.
I encourage you to check out all the updated resources on our website. They are consistent with the 8th edition of the Guide and include frequently asked questions (updated FAQs are flagged), tutorials, and sample reports.
NIH is committed to the humane care and use of animals involved in research and this requires a collaborative effort of all who participate in NIH programs.
It’s disappointing that the new edition of the Guide eliminates the admonition to follow all local, state, and federal regulations. The previous edition made it clear, and repeated itself on this point.
The new edition of the Guide addresses compliance with federal and local laws in chapter 1 (see p 1) and chapter 2 (see p 12). Additionally, the PHS policy requires institutions to comply with applicable state or local laws and regulations that impose more stringent standards for the care and use of laboratory animals.
Where can I obtain a copy of the new guidelines?
Here is a link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Guide-for-the-Care-and-Use-of-Laboratory-Animals.pdf.
Is there a place where I can see only the changes made to the new “Guide”? What are those things that I must do differenly now, using the new guide, to stay in compliance?
Thank You