In this section:
Terms of Reference
Introduction
The use of animals for teaching, research or experimentation is regulated by State legislation - the South Australian Animal Welfare Act 1985.
Primary Industries is licensed under the Act to acquire and use animals only when approval has been granted by its Animal Ethics Committee.
No animal may be held or used for any purpose until written approval has been obtained from the Committee.
The Animal Ethics Committee must ensure that all animal care and use is conducted in compliance with the "Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes" - 6th edition 1997 - and that it incorporates the principle of the three R's - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement.
The purpose of the Code is to ensure the humane care of animals used for scientific purposes including teaching.
Its aims are to:
- emphasise the responsibilities of investigators, teachers and institutions using animals
- ensure that the welfare of animals is always considered
- ensure that the use of animals is justified
- avoid pain or distress for each animal used in scientific and teaching activities
- minimise the number of animals used in projects and
promote the development and use of techniques which replace animal use in scientific and teaching activities.
All PIRSA personnel who wish to use animals for teaching, research or experimentation MUST obtain ethical approval from the PIRSA Animal Ethics Committee prior to any use or involvement with animals, irrespective of where they are located, where animals may be housed or used, or of the source of funding. All student projects must receive PIRSA ethical clearance.
Further information on animal care policies and procedures and application documents are available at this site. Please read the guideline information before submitting an application for ethical approval to the Committee.
Please contact Lyn Beaumont-Clark, Executive Officer, PIRSA AEC (8303 7665) if you have queries or at lyn.beaumont-clark@sa.gov.au
Guidelines for Seeking Ethics Approval & Clearance Requirements
The South Australian Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 regulates all use of animals for teaching, research or experimentation in South Australia.
The Primary Industry's Licence under this Act authorises use of animals subject to the following conditions:
- The acquisition and use of animals for teaching or research must not commence before:
(a) all information requested by the PIRSA Animal Ethics Committee has been supplied, and
(b) approval has been granted by the PIRSA Animal Ethics Committee. - Adequate care, housing and handling is maintained
- Proper and adequate post-procedural care, including appropriate veterinary attention must be provided for the animals
- Animals must be treated humanely and in accordance with the Act and Regulations and all procedures are to be carried out in accordance with the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and use of Animals for Scientific Purposes. The current 6th edition 1997 is published by the National Health & Medical Research Council.
All use of animals by PIRSA personnel or holding of animals at PIRSA premises must be approved by the Animal Ethics Committee before commencement. In this context, use and holding includes:
- the use or involvement of animals in research projects or experiments, irrespective of the site involved or the source of funding;
- the use of animals in undergraduate laboratory classes;
- holding, breeding or any other keeping of animals;
- fieldwork, including capture and release after marking.
PIRSA personnel located within other institutions must apply to the PIRSA's Animal Ethics Committee as well as to the ethics committee of the other institution(s) (it is suggested that applications are made to the necessary committees at the same time using duplicates of the same application). University degree candidates located within other institutions require ethical clearance by the PIRSA's Animal Ethics Committee as well as the institutional committee at the place where research is conducted.
Written proposals should place before the AEC sufficient information to satisfy the AEC that the proposed use of animals is justified and complies with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement.
Written proposal should be presented in a form that allows the AEC to easily assess information provided. They should be written in a matter that can be understood by all members of the AEC and must identify the impact of all sections of the proposal on animals used and means by which the impact will be minimised.
(Code of Practice, 2.2.9 and 2.2.10 )
The application form seeks information from applicants in order to meet the requirements of the Code of Practice (refer pages 13 and 14 regarding written proposals). Applicants should be familiar with the contents of the Code before completing the application form. View the code in a new window.
The application form is designed primarily in relation to research projects. It may not be entirely appropriate for a teaching submission but should be used as a guide to the details required for ethical consideration of the work. Additional procedures apply to applications involving use of animals for undergraduate teaching .
The Committee will consider proposals and will make meet prior to making recommendations and advising of their approval. The Committee does not receive applications direct.
Deadline dates for submission are available at this website.
Late applications will be held till the next round of business.
- Please direct enquiries, correspondence and completed applications to Lyn Beaumont-Clark, Executive Officer, PIRSA Animal Ethics Committee, Roseworthy, SA 5371. Ph. (08) 8303 7665, Fax: (08) 8303 7663, email: lyn.beaumont-clark@sa.gov.au
- The original application plus 10 photocopies are required to enable circulation to Committee members.
- If the work is linked with an application for support by a funding body, please attach a copy of that project application to the original form.
- Please ensure that full information is provided in the application. Boxes in the form can be re-sized to accommodate your answers. Otherwise, please attach separate pages if necessary.
- In the case of a postgraduate project, the supervisor should be the applicant.
- Please give "common" name of animal species as well as scientific name.
- It is necessary to list all drugs to be administered including dose and route:
(a) use generic names at all times; brand names may also be included;
(b) doses may be specified giving an expected range (eg. 2-8 mg/kg daily);
(c) special diets, and dietary additives must be specified and quantified.
- Some species of animal are more communal than others and the Committee is advised that isolation of such animals causes stress. On that basis the Committee's expectation is that sheep and rats (for example) will not be housed in individual pens/cages. The Committee recognises that there are circumstances in which individual housing is acceptable or preferable, and applicants need to provide justification for individual housing in responding to question 2 in the form.
- The Strategic Research Area Leader (or Principal Researcher) will be required to countersign the application form before submission for ethics approval, and to assume responsibility for ensuring that the procedures are carried out in accordance with final ethical approval. Nevertheless, investigators have direct and ultimate responsibility for all matters related to the welfare of their animals and must act in accord with all the requirements of the Code.
- The application for approval covers the whole project and, while it is not necessary to make a separate application for each experiment within the project, the detailed description of the proposed experiments and the answers to particular questions should adequately cover all experiments within the project.
- Activities involving the use of animals must not start before written AEC approval is obtained.
- It is necessary to apply in writing to the Committee for extension to approval if an approved project is to continue for a longer period of time, if additional animals are required or if amendment to the protocol is proposed.
- No new application can be approved other than at a meeting of the Committee. The Committee's Executive may only approve minor modification to a project when the case is urgent.
- Animal Ethics Committee approval is required before animal holding space is allocated and before animals are supplied. Ethical approval of a project does not guarantee that the animals, or space for holding them, will be available; it is for the applicant to ensure this availability.
- The Committee may make random inspections of animal holding facilities, laboratories and experiments in order to determine compliance with the approval conditions.
- The Director of Animal Services, as an authorised agent of the Committee, may inspect animal holding areas and laboratories and generally monitor the transportation, condition and treatment of animals to ensure compliance with prescribed codes of practice and with the requirements of the Committee, as well as respond to emergencies with respect to the conditions of animal use.
- Statistical information regarding use of animals must be provided to the Committee annually. This is collected on a calendar year basis and collated for report to the Minister responsible for animal welfare. A brief progress report is also required in the case of projects extending for more than a year.
- All unexpected animal deaths or any adverse or unforeseen circumstances arising from approved projects must be reported promptly to the Committee.
