United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) is a federal agency that promulgates and enforces federal regulations. The federal law is the Animal Welfare Act (Public Law 89-544) and amendments. A copy of the Animal Welfare Regulations is available for review in the U.C.A.R. office at extension 5-1693. The federal regulations define standards for the humane handling, care, treatment and transportation of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, nonhuman primates, and farm animals used in biomedical research or teaching. Nonregulated animals include laboratory bred species of rats (Rattus sp. ) and mice (Mus sp. ), poultry, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. The U.S.D.A. requires that all research facilities be registered and report regulated animal use annually. The U.S.D.A. reporting year is from October 1 through September 30. The annual reporting is required only for regulated animals (e.g. dogs, cats, rabbits, swine, sheep, goats, hamsters, guinea pigs, cotton rats, nonhuman primates, wild caught mammals).

U.S.D.A. Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (A.P.H.I.S.) veterinarians make unannounced inspections of research facilities. The inspector evaluates all aspects of the research facility's program for compliance with standards of the federal regulations. The inspector reviews protocols in the I.A.C.U.C. office, observes animals in the animal rooms and visits laboratories where animals are transported. Any items of noncompliance with the regulations are documented on the inspector's report and become available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act. Serious items of noncompliance may place the research facility on probation or result in suspension of all regulated animal research activity. Please become familiar with the federal regulations. Please call the U.C.A.R. secretary at X5-1693 to make an appointment with a U.C.A.R. member to gain more information on how the U.S.D.A. Regulations impact your research.