Best practices for animal care committees and animal use oversight.

Regulatory authorities around the world with oversight responsibility for the welfare of research animals have placed heavily reliance on local oversight committees. These animal care committees (ACCs) are part of an institutional animal welfare team that includes the institutional administration, principal investigators, attending veterinarian and animal care staff, as well as regulatory organizations and authorities. As a key component of this team, most ACCs function as an agent of the institution to ensure regulatory animal welfare compliance. Although regulatory testing involving animals presents some unique circumstances, the focus of all animal care committees is to minimize animal pain and distress. Federal requirements are often couched within a regulatory framework that is performance based and therefore very flexible. Thus, it is important for ACCs to establish very simple and specific institutional requirements and procedures and to work at promoting a broad understanding of them within their respective institutions. Experience suggests that ambiguity at the local level results in many unintended side effects and confusion. There are many "best practices" that can help the ACC promote institutional compliance and good animal welfare. These practices, although not universally appropriate for all institutions or activities, include ACC coordinator or administrator, designated protocol reviewer, alternate or duel ACC members, generic protocols and standard operating procedures, centralized controls and animal care facilities, conducting pilot studies, and ensuring the most humane endpoints.