Animal Care & Use
The Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU) oversees the University’s use of animals in scientific investigation and instruction, manages the compliance activities of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and administers the research support functions of University Research Animal Resources (URAR).
Announcements and News
4/26/2023: The USDA amended the Animal Welfare Regulations (AWR), so that some live birds are now regulated by USDA. Previously only mammals were covered by the AWR.
How to determine if your research or instruction birds are USDA regulated:
Birds bred (hatched) in captivity: These birds are not covered by the USDA AWR.
Wild-caught birds (birds not hatched in captivity): These birds are covered under the USDA AWR.
So, PIs working with wild-caught birds need to take specific actions:
- On IACUC protocols, the question about coverage by the USDA Animal Welfare Act Regulations (in 5.1) is to be answered as “Yes”.
- Starting October 1, 2023, the PI must record the number of birds used every federal fiscal year, to potentially be included in UGA’s annual animal use report to USDA. The OACU will contact PIs each fall to ask for these numbers if they are needed, based on the procedures in your AUPs. Please count from October 1 through September 30 each year, the federal fiscal year.
8/1/2022: There is a new Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) policy, “Registration of Animal Used for Purposes Other than Research and Instruction”.
This policy requires registration of certain animal-use activities that do not require an IACUC approved protocol (AUP). Registration is via a very short qualtrics form.
The university is responsible for all activities using UGA-owned animals, and animal activities on UGA property or sponsored by UGA, even though the use of animals for purposes other than research and instruction does not fall under the same regulations as research and instructional uses.
Registration is required for: 1) Use of UGA-owned animals for non-research, non-instruction purposes (e.g., production, clubs, non-instructional exhibits or entertainment events) and 2) use of animals not owned by UGA on UGA property or sponsored by UGA (rodeo, open house).
1/18/2022: The Office of Animal Care and Use and the IACUC are excited to let UGA researchers know that the AUP Annual Renewals are no longer needed!
The Annual Renewals were required at the end of the first and second years of an AUP’s lifespan. Annual Renewals were required by the USDA regulations, and the USDA has removed that requirement as of January 2022. As soon as USDA told us they were no longer required, we dropped that requirement for UGA researchers.
We are working with Office of Research IT to stop all Artemis automatic notifications about Annual Renewals. In the meantime, please ignore any Annual Renewal automatic notifications.
Just to be clear—all AUPs will still expire, 3 years after the approval date.
8/26/2021: The training requirements for personnel listed on an Animal Use Protocol have recently changed. Sharps Training is now only required once.
IACUC
The use of vertebrate animals in research at UGA requires registration, review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). IACUC review and approval is required to ensure compliance with all regulations, policies and standards that protect animal welfare. All animal use proposals are submitted through Artemis.
For general inquiries please contact our staff at iacuc@uga.edu
Humane Care and Use Policy
UGA maintains a Policy on Humane Care and Use of Animals that declares its compliance with regulations and policies governing use of all vertebrate animals used in research and instruction.
How Do I Report an Animal Welfare Issue?
The University of Georgia is committed to the humane care of the animals used in its research and instructional activities. If you have a question or concern about animal welfare, we urge you to report concerns to your supervisor or to the University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). UGA’s Policy on Reporting and Investigating Animal Welfare Concerns can be found here.
The identity of persons reporting concerns to the IACUC is held strictly confidential if requested.
One may also report concerns anonymously, through the Anonymous Welfare Concerns Reporting Form or through the UGA Ethics and Compliance Reporting Hotline: 1-877-516-3467.
Newsletters
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