Listed below is a sampling of key animal research regulations for countries around the world. If you'd like to suggest an additional listing, please send it to accredit@aaalac.org.
Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences
In December 2012, the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) and the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) revised the "International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals" (CIOMS 1985). The Principles are intended to serve as a framework of responsibility and oversight for countries with emerging research and teaching programs that use animals as well as an international benchmark for countries with well-developed animal-based research programs.
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
The 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC 2011) (the Guide), is recognized in many countries as the standard for quality animal care and use. AAALAC's Council on Accreditation uses Three Primary Standards to evaluate animal care and use programs. They include the Guide; also the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (Ag Guide), FASS 2010; and the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, Council of Europe (ETS 123). (Council also uses a number of additional Reference Resources during the assessment process as appropriate to the location of the program and the type of research being conducted.)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department Animal Production and Health Division
www.fao.org/ag/againfo/home/en/index.htm
5th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences
www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/5th_world_congress_on_alternatives_and_animal_use_in_the_l.pdf
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES)
www.cites.org
European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
www.eclam.org
European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians
www.eslav.org
Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations
www.felasa.eu
International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS)
www.iclas.org
International Foundation for Science
www.ifs.se
International Primatological Society
www.internationalprimatologicalsociety.org
International Society for Animal Genetics
www.isag.us
International Veterinary Information Service
www.ivis.org
International Veterinary Students Association
www.ivsa.org
Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)
www.adelaide.edu.au/ANZCCART/
Australian Veterinary Association
www.ava.com.au
Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes, 8th edition, 2013. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council. Available at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/ea28
New South Wales Animal Research Act 1985
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ara1985134/
Northern Territory of Australia Animal Welfare Act
http://www.animalwelfare.nt.gov.au
Queensland, Animal Care and Protection Act 2001
https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/2016-07-01/act-2001-064
Summary of Requirements for Scientific Animal Use
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/animal-industries/welfare-and-ethics/using-animals-for-scientific-purposes/summary-of-requirements-for-scientific-animal-use
South Australia Animal Welfare Act 1985
https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/A/Animal Welfare Act 1985.aspx
Tasmania Animal Welfare Act of 1993
http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/biosecurity-tasmania/animal-biosecurity/animal-welfare/legislation-standards-guidelines/animal-welfare-act
Victoria Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986, Part 3
http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare/animal-welfare-legislation/prevention-of-cruelty-to-animals-legislation
Western Australia Animal Welfare Act 2002
http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/main_mrtitle_50_homepage.html
National Research Council
www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS/ASCAL)
www.calas-acsal.org
Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC)
www.ccac.ca
Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres
http://www.uoguelph.ca/toxicology/history_tox_program.html
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
http://canadianveterinarians.net
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals Volume 1.
Canadian Council on Animal Care. Volume 1 (2nd. Edition), 1993. (Adopted May 1999) Canadian Council on Animal Care, 315-350 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1R 1B1. www.ccac.ca/Documents/Standards/Guidelines/Experimental_Animals_Vol1.pdf
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals Volume 2.
Canadian Council on Animal Care. Volume 2, 1984. (Adopted May 1999) Canadian Council on Animal Care, 315-350 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1R 1B1. www.ccac.ca/en_/standards/guidelines
ETS 123 (European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes):
Download PDF
Appendix A* of the ETS 123: Download PDF
Appendix B of the ETS 123: Download PDF
*background information for the species-specific section of Appendix A may be found here...
Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:276:0033:0079:En:PDF
Directive 86/609/EEC:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31986L0609:EN:HTML
Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe
www.biomedeurope.org
Ethics on Using Transgenic Animals
http://oslovet.veths.no/transgenics/references.html
European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals
www.ecetoc.org
European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
www.eclam.org
European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes
www.conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/treaties/html/123.htm
European Primate Resources Network
www.euprim-net.eu
European Science Foundation
www.esf.org
European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians
www.eslav.org
EUROTOX
(Federation of European Toxicologist & European Societies of Toxicology)
www.eurotox.com
Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations
www.felasa.eu
University of Kuopio, National Laboratory Animal Center (Finland)
www.uef.fi/en/kek
AFSTAL
www.afstal.com
AFSTAL Journal Article, "AAALAC INTERNATIONAL EN FRANCE," (written by Dr. Javier Guillen, DVM, AAALAC Senior Director and Director of European Activities, 2012 www.afstal.com).
International Agency for Research on Cancer
www.iarc.fr
Animal Welfare Regulation Governing Experimental Animals
PDF Document
German Animal Welfare Act
PDF Document
Hong Kong - Code of Practice Care and Use of Animals for Experimental Purposes
Download PDF
Government of India Ministry of Environment & Forests
Animal Welfare Division
https://india.gov.in/animal-welfare-division-ministry-environment-and-forests
Compendium of CPCSEA 2018, Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India
PDF Document
CPCSEA's What 's New
http://cpcsea.nic.in/Content/whatnews.aspx
Instructions of CPCSEA for the animal house facilities (February 1, 2019) and clarifications (March 29, 2019)
Download PDF
The Recommendation of the Sub-Committee on Rehabilitation of Animals After Experimentation Set Up by CPCSEA
PDF Document
Government of Republic of Indonesia's Regulation No. 95, 2012
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/5310
Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 41, 2014
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/38801
Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 18, 2009
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/38634/uu-no-18-tahun-2009
HPRA: Scientific Animal Protection
http://www.hpra.ie/homepage/veterinary/scientific-animal-protection
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Law (Experiments on Animals) 5754-1994 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Rules Experiments on Animals (5761-2001) correct as of December 1, 2005
PDF Document
Fondazione Guido Bernardini
www.fondazioneguidobernardini.org
Italian legislation
www.iss.it/publ/anna/2004/2/402205.pdf
Act on Welfare and Management of Animals – Japan (English Translation)
www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/hourei/data/AWMA.pdf
Fundamental Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experimentation and Related Activities in Research Institutions under the Jurisdiction of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan, 2006 and amended in 2015 (Japanese).
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-10600000-Daijinkanboukouseikagakuka/honbun.pdf
Fundamental Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiment and Related Activities in Academic Research Institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Notice No. 71. June 1, 2006 (English translated version).
http://www.lifescience.mext.go.jp/policies/pdf/an_material011.pdf
Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiments June 1, 2006 Science Council of Japan
www.scj.go.jp/ja/info/kohyo/pdf/kohyo-20-k16-2e.pdf
Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science (English)
https://www.jalas.jp/english/en_about.html
Malaysia Animal Welfare Act 2015, Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Malaysia (2015) download PDF
Mauritius Animal Welfare (Experiment on Animals) Regulations 2017
download PDF
NORMA Oficial Mexicana NOM-062-ZOO-1999, Especificaciones técnicas para la producción, cuidado y uso de los animales de laboratorio
download PDF
Norwegian Reference Center for Laboratory Animal Science and Alternatives
https://norecopa.no/
An Act to Promote Animal Welfare in the Philippines, otherwise known as "The Animal Welfare Act of 1998"
http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1998/02/11/republic-act-no-8485/
An Act Amending Certain Sections of Republic Act No. 8485, otherwise known as "The Animal Welfare Act of 1998"
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/10/03/republic-act-no-10631/
Philippine Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI)
https://www.bai.gov.ph/index.php/laws-issuances/administrative-order/category/79-ao-1999?download=934:ao40-s-1999-rules-and-regulations-on-the-conduct-of-scientific-procedures-using-animals
Guidelines for the ethical review of laboratory animal welfare
People’s Republic of China National Standard GB/T 35892-2018 (2020)
download PDF
Regulations in China—Updates
http://losangeles.china-consulate.org/eng/topnews/t127829.htm
www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-05/17/content_331357.htm
Animal Protection Act No. 14651, Partial Amendment Mar 21, 2017
Enforcement Date 22 Mar 2018, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture (English translation),
http://www.law.go.kr/LSW/eng/engLsSc.do?menuId=2§ion=lawNm&query=Animal+Protection+Act&x=0&y=0#liBgcolor0
Laboratory Animal Act No. 15278, 19 Dec 2017
Enforcement Date: 20 Jun 2018, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (English translation), http://www.law.go.kr/LSW/eng/engLsSc.do?menuId=2§ion=lawNm&query=Laboratory+Animal+Act&x=33&y=23#liBgcolor0
Russian Academy of Sciences
www.ras.ru
Scandinavian Society for Laboratory Animal Science
www.scandlas.org
NACLAR Guidelines: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/avs/animals/animals-in-scientific-research/naclar-guidelines/naclar-guidelines (Singapore)
South African Society of Animal Science
www.sasas.co.za
Association Espanola de Toxicologia (Spain)
http://tox.umh.es
Spanish Society of Laboratory Animal Science
www.secal.es
Spanish Society of Toxicology
http://www.aetox.es/registro-espanol-de-toxicologos/spanish-association-of-toxicology/
Institute of Laboratory Animal Science (Switzerland)
http://www.ltk.uzh.ch/en.html
Guideline for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
PDF (Chinese)
Taiwan Animal Protection Act
https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=M0060027
Animals for Scientific Purposes Act 2015
Thai version (PDF)
English version
Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, NRC of Thailand (1999)
English version (PDF)
Thai Version (PDF)
British Veterinary Association
www.bva.co.uk
Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
www.frame.org.uk
Institute of Animal Technology (IAT)
www.iat.org.uk
Laboratory Animal Science Association
www.lasa.co.uk
Medical Research Council
www.mrc.ac.uk
Seriously Ill for Medical Research
www.simr.org.uk
U.K. Home Office - Animals
www.gov.uk/research-and-testing-using-animals
Understanding Animal Research
www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk
The Animal Welfare Act
In the United States, the Animal Welfare Act regulates the care and use of animals in many areas, including animal research. The Act has been modified and updated several times since its adoption in 1966, and currently covers all warm-blooded animals except rats, mice and birds, and farm animals used in food and fiber research.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), oversees compliance with the Act. APHIS maintains a pool of investigators who inspect animal research facilities at least once a year and report their findings to the USDA and the public. Those not in compliance with the Act may be fined or have their licenses revoked. More information on APHIS can be found on their Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/.
Public Health Service Policy
Hundreds of research institutions receive support through the United States Public Health Service (PHS) for research involving animals. These institutions must provide extensive written documentation (referred to as "assurance") of their compliance with the "PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals." Copies of the PHS Policy are available from the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, National Institutes of Health, telephone 301.496.7163. Or visit their Web site at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The Animal Welfare Act requires U.S. institutions to have an "Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee" (IACUC) to review and approve or deny every protocol and research project that involves animals. The IACUC plays a major role in ensuring that research animals are being responsibly used and cared for in a humane manner. Click here for more information for IACUCs.
State and local regulations
In addition to federal regulations, institutions using animals in research, teaching or testing may be subject to additional state and local laws. State and local legislatures should be consulted for more details.
Guidelines
In the United States, many organizations involved in animal research have published their own guidelines related to animal care, use, or specific procedures. The most well known is the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide), published by the National Research Council, and most recently revised in 2011. The Guide is one of Three Primary Standards* used by AAALAC's Council on Accreditation to evaluate animal programs, and is widely recognized throughout the international scientific community. Click here for more information on the Guide.
Another of AAALAC's Three Primary Standards is the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (Ag Guide). The Ag Guide is published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) and was most recently updated in 2010. More information on the Ag Guide is available here.
*(Click here for details on AAALAC's Three Primary Standards.)
Other widely accepted guidelines include the American Veterinary Medical Association's "Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia," and the American Journal of Veterinary Research's "Guidelines for Animal Surgery in Research and Teaching." Copies of these publications and a list of additional resources and guidelines are available in the Reference Resources section of AAALAC's Web site.
More information on animal oversight
The National Association for Biomedical Research has a web site with detailed information on all aspects of animal oversight in the United States. Visit https://www.nabr.org/biomedical-research/oversight.
Georgetown University Law Center also has a section on Animal Law at: http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/AnimalLaw.cfm
If you'd like to suggest an additional listing, please send it to accredit@aaalac.org.