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VetSpace > NZVA > Animal Welfare > Veterinarians on Animal Ethics Committees

Veterinarians on Animal Ethics Committees

One of the strengths of the system that governs the use of animals in research, testing, and teaching in New Zealand is the requirement, under Part 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 1999, that the animal ethics committees (AECs) that consider every project that is to use live animals must include three people nominated by specific organisations independent of the institution where the work is to take place.
The organisations designated to nominate these "lay" members are:

  • the New Zealand Veterinary Association;
  • an animal welfare organisation approved under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 such as the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; 
  • local or regional government

These external members must have no financial or other connection that might present a conflict of interest and interfere with their independent status with the institution on whose Animal Ethics Committee they sit. They are nominees of the organisations listed above and unless a substantiated reason against the appointment can be given, the nomination should not be rejected. The research institution may require the presentation of a curriculum vitae of the proposed nominee.

 

Responsibilities of veterinarians on AECs
The veterinarian on the AEC is seen as:

an animal advocate

  • having a professional commitment to promoting and nurturing the welfare of animals
  • ethically concerned about animals
  • who can assess the physical environment and physical fitness of animals
  • perceived by the public as seeing animals as sentient creatures

a person who is an authoritative source on the recognition and alleviation of pain and suffering and who, while perhaps not trained in the health and welfare of all species of animals used in research, testing and teaching in NZ, has knowledge of these issues as part of his/her daily work and professional training, and is also able to determine the need for and appropriate timing of euthanasia

a professional who, using special knowledge, can bring a particular dimension to the discussion of scientific issues as:

  • a person whose education in the biological and medical sciences enables him/her to judge the appropriateness of the science of a project in terms of cost and benefit
  • a person willing to ask questions about the merit and methodology of the scientific research or teaching
  • a contributor to the rational debate on animal experimentation issues
  • a person able to contribute to discussion on the 3 Rs i.e. reduction, replacement and refinement
  • as someone outside the research institution, an informed representative of the public. (Veterinarians who serve on AECs need to know and respect the community's breadth of views on animal welfare. They are there partly to help satisfy the community's concern about the responsible and humane use of animals.)

a professional with specialist training and expertise in the management and performance of surgical procedures, and who is therefore:

  • ideally qualified to assist the AEC with site visits to observe animal manipulations; particularly surgical procedures
  • able to advise researchers on best practice surgical techniques and give practical advice on peri-operative clinical strategies which promote animal welfare
  • able to advise researchers on standard post-operative support measures and monitoring techniques used  to ensure appropriate care for surgical patients

Veterinarians who serve as NZVA nominees should be conversant with the literature on the ethical aspects of the use of animals in research and teaching. As in other veterinary fields, professional competence requires understanding of the scientific method, health and disease of the subject species and an understanding of the legal obligations of those undertaking animal manipulations in New Zealand.

The representation of the profession on AECs provides an excellent avenue for the application of the veterinarian's professional expertise to foster both animal welfare and the advancement of science.

See Williams, V. (2005). The role of veterinarians on animal ethics committees in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Association Conference 2005: Food Safety and Biosecurity, Epidemiology and Animal Health, Wellington, New Zealand, VetLearn Foundation. http://www.sciquest.org.nz/elibrary/download/38665/The_role_of_veterinar...