University Animal Care Committee (UACC) Objectives

1. To ensure that the use of animals at Queen's University in research, teaching or testing meets or exceeds the standards of animal welfare established by the Animals for Research Act (Ontario), and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).
2. To teach and promote the ethical use and management of animals in research, teaching and testing by providing training opportunities to personnel engaged in the care and research of animals.
3. To encourage good communication between animal users and the UACC, and to work with investigators and instructors to create a research and teaching environment that promotes animal welfare.
4. To work with the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to ensure that all animal care facilities at Queen's University meet or exceed the standards of care set by agency guidelines and legislation, and to report accurate numbers of animals used in research and teaching to these agencies.

 

It is the responsibility of the UACC to ensure that no teaching program (including field studies) involving vertebrate animals be commenced and that no animals be acquired or used without prior approval of an animal use protocol.

The animal use protocol must include an indication of whether the course has been reviewed with respect to the pedagogical merit of using live animals.

 Policy on Pedagogical Merit of Live Animal-Based Teaching and Training (PDF 96 KB)

Research protocols submitted for approval must indicate whether the project has been peer-reviewed for scientific merit.

Where the applicant confirms that an independent peer-review has not been undertaken, arrangements for arm's length peer-review must be made and the review successfully completed before the protocol is approved by the UACC.

 Policy on Peer Review for Scientific Merit (PDF 104 KB)

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) stipulates that it is the responsibility of the UACC to ensure that all animal users receive adequate training prior to handling animals and that a system is maintained to allow for the easy tracking of training records for each animal user.

In particular, the UACC must ensure that all personnel listed on an animal use protocol have received the appropriate training before they proceed with the protocol. 

 Policy on Animal User Training (PDF 288 KB)