Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body

Committee description

Terms of Reference

i. To promote awareness of animal welfare issues and to offer advice and guidance on ethical, legal and practical issues concerning the use of protected animals for scientific purposes.

ii. To advise on the training of personnel who work with protected animals used for scientific purposes and to monitor the University’s accredited training courses for prospective licensees.

iii. To advise on issues concerning health and safety in relation to protected animals used for scientific purposes.

iv. To promote the development and uptake of alternatives to protected animal use and to provide advice accordingly.

v. To consider proposed applications for and amendments to Project Licences and to examine proposals referred to the Committee for non-regulated work using protected animals for scientific purposes.

vi. To review the care and accommodation standards within the University to be applied to all protected animals used for scientific purposes, including breeding stock.

vii. To undertake retrospective reviews of ongoing projects, promoting the development and uptake of reduction, replacement and refinement strategies.

viii. To report to the University’s Research Governance Committee.

Members or key people

  • Role holders specified in Section 2C, Subsection 5 A(SP)A 1986 (as amended) will be members of the committee ex officio
  • A member of the academic staff unconnected with animal work
  • At least eight senior scientists (properly representative of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and including a minimum of three senior licensees)
  • At least one lay member appointed by the Council

Details of the current membership and frequency of meetings may be obtained from the Research Support Office.