How do we run an accredited laboratory animal facility for mammals? What can we learn from each other?

Adrian Smith, Laboratory Animal Unit, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo

Animal facilities involved in the testing or production of pharmaceuticals are required to perform to systems of quality control. The additional resources and documentation requirements that accompany these systems have prevented many research facilities from implementing them if they are not mandatory. However, implementation of the three R’s is greatly enhanced if the animal facility has conducted a thorough assessment of the quality of its animal care and use programme.

The traditional quality control systems tend to focus more on standardisation and documentation than animal welfare since they were designed to monitor procedures rather than welfare. An ideal quality control programme should therefore include all these elements.

This presentation will describe the accreditation system run by AAALAC International (http://www.aaalac.org) and they way in which the three R’s are implemented in this programme. The Laboratory Animal Unit at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science has been accredited by AAALAC since 2002. The Unit’s experiences with this programme will be described. The relevance of an accreditation system such as AAALAC to fish research facilities will also be discussed.