Table 1.
An overview of the organisation of ethical review of laboratory animal use in the Federation of Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) countries in Europe (Smith et al. 2007)
| Country | Mandatory processesa | Voluntary processes |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | For academic institutions: National committee of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Industry: Official veterinarian | Institutional committees in some facilities |
| Belgium | Institutional committees (which can be shared between institutions) and Government inspectors (who are members of the local committees) and a National committee when difficult issues arise | |
| Czech Republic | Institutional committees; two National committees: representing (i) all Ministries involved in animal experiments and (ii) the Academy of Sciences; final authorisation by a Government committee, the Central Commission for Animal Welfare and the Environment | |
| Denmark | Review by National committee appointed by the Minister of Justice which directs a Government inspectorate | Four institutional committees |
| Estonia | A National licensing committee was established at the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture in May 2004. The committee reviews applications and grants permits for animal experiments; meetings take place according to the number of applications received | |
| Finland | At the time of writing, institutional committees (some are shared between institutions). Changing to a National Committee as a result of a change in the law in 2006 | |
| France | Applications for licences are approved and given by the Ministry of Agriculture. Government veterinary inspectors from the local Veterinary Service in each Prefecture check compliance (field of research, training and competence of researchers). Painful protocols must be declared to the local Prefecture, and an additional licence and evaluation is required for use of non‐domestic animals. A National Ethical Committee oversees the good functioning of the ethical committees (but there is not as yet a legal requirement for researchers to submit their work for ethical review by these committees) | Regional committees for public research (22); Institutional committee in each industrial firmb |
| Germany | Review by institutional Animal Welfare Officer (a veterinarian, medical doctor or zoologist), then by Regional committee (c. 40) advising the government authorities | |
| Greece | Official veterinarian from the Local Veterinary Service in each Prefecture, who may take advice from scientists in the relevant field of work | Institutional committees in Medical Faculties and some research institutions |
| Ireland | Applications for licences must be approved by the Minister for Health and Children. A local nominated competent person (preferably a veterinary surgeon) must review each application and declare that he/she does not envisage any practical difficulties on welfare grounds and specify any reservations | Institutional committees in most institutions |
| Italy | A review by a special Commission at the National Institute of Health is required only for: procedures involving cats, dogs, non‐human primates and/or endangered species; procedures without anaesthesia; and those for education and training | Institutional committees in most research centres |
| Latvia | National committee, at the Latvian Council of Science | |
| Lithuania | National committee of the State Food and Veterinary Service | Institutional committees in some facilities |
| Netherlands | Local (mostly institutional) committees, plus a National committee which acts as a ‘court of appeal’ when a local committee has rejected a proposal (very rare). The law permits the outsourcing of ethical review, so that ‘institutional’ committees can advise more than one institution, and there can also be independent committees (there is one at present), whose services can be hired by institutions do not have their own | |
| Norway | Local ‘competent person’ and National committee (National Animal Research Authority – for review of cases which the local competent person finds too controversial to make a decision, or is involved in, field experiments, and painful experiments where painkillers are withheld (very rare)) | Institutional committees in some facilities |
| A new Animal Welfare Act is currently being drafted | ||
| Poland | Regional committees (18) set up by the National Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation (NEC/AE) which oversees their work as an appeal authority. | |
| Spain | Regional committees in Catalonia, Andalusia and Aragon; institutional committees in all research centres in Catalonia and Aragon. From October 2005, a new national law requires institutional committees in all State (but not other) research centres, and sets up a State Ethical Commission of Animal Welfare which must approve and supervise high severity procedures | Institutional committees in most other research centres in the remaining regions |
| Sweden | Regional committees (7) | |
| Switzerland | Regional committees (10), which advise the Cantonal Authority whether or not experiments should be authorised; plus a National committee to advise the cantons in controversial cases and more general matters. The Federal Veterinary Office has the right to appeal. | Institutional committees in some facilities |
| UK | Institutional committees and other local processes review project licence applications as well as more general matters pertaining to the care and use of laboratory animals within institutions. Applications then forwarded to Government inspectors who, having weighed the likely welfare costs against the potential benefits, advise the Secretary of State for the Home Office whether or not they should be granted. There is also a National committee (the Animal Procedures Committee) for general advice on the operation of the law and ethical review of certain classes of licence application |
a
Italics indicate countries in which there is not yet a national, mandatory requirement for prior ethical review of all regulated scientific uses of animals
b
Although not legally required, the organisations involved signed a binding commitment to submit work to these processes for ethical review.
This table summarises the wide range of general organisation of ethical review processeses of laboratory animal use in the Federation of Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) countries in Europe.(Smith et al. 2007) [License number to reproduce table from SAGE Publications ‐ 4115900032136]