The use of animals outside of the UK

All researchers funded by the MRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, NERC, NC3Rs, Defra, Wellcome and other AMRC charities who use animals are required to implement the guidance Responsibility in the Use of Animals in Bioscience Research as a condition of grant funding. A key principle (page 14) is the expectation that research conducted overseas should be carried out to welfare standards consistent with those in the UK. This is reflected in the UKRI Policy on research and innovation use of animals (6. Additional responsibilities and expectations) and the AMRC Position statement on the use of animals in research. 

The following resources have been created to support applicants when conducting or placing animal work outside of the UK:

• Minimum space allocations for housing laboratory animals: Comparison of UK, EU and USA guidance.
• Choosing contractors for animal research outside of the UK.

For studies using non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines and for some funders pigs, the welfare standards are assessed during an NC3Rs review of research proposals. For studies involving species that fall outside of automatic remit for the NC3Rs peer review and advice service, applicants are recommended to complete the relevant form and include it in their application for consideration by the funder’s review panel.

The forms are relevant to research involving captive, owned or managed animals. They may be used by UK research funders to:

• Identify where deviations from UK animal research standards may occur, or provide reassurance that standards of good practice and the principles of UK law, including those covering housing, husbandry and basic procedural standards, will be met.

• Provide an opportunity for applicants to briefly explain why deviations from UK standards are necessary to achieve the scientific aims of a study.

These forms can also be used in other settings, for example: 

• For researchers to select contractors or collaborators to work with.

• As part of the ethical review process, for the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) to review work that will be conducted outside the UK.

The form has three sections, complete each section following the guidance below.

Section 1. Checklist of additional questions

Indicate if the conditions given in the first column of the table will be met for the animals on the study by selecting ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘NA’ (not applicable) where this option is available. The text in italics gives guidance on what option to select in the second column of the table. Specific considerations for different study types:

• For samples collected from animals post-mortem, complete the checklist for the conditions that the animals will be kept in when they are alive.

• For environmental samples (e.g. swabs of cage surfaces) or opportunistically collected faecal samples (i.e. no contact will be made with the animals), complete the checklist for the conditions the animals will be kept in when the samples will be collected.

• For work involving animals housed in a variety of different conditions (e.g. a combination of commercial and subsistence farms, zoological facilities and domestic settings), select the responses corresponding to the “lowest” standards of housing and husbandry if these are known and provide a brief explanation within Section 2. Exceptions and additional information.

• For work involving animals housed in conditions that cannot be accurately verified (e.g. subsistence farms, domestic settings), complete the checklist to the best of your knowledge, providing brief additional information within Section 2. Exceptions and additional information.

Section 2. Exceptions and additional information

Provide further details for the ‘No’ responses given in Section 1. You may also wish to elaborate on ‘NA’ responses. Please only include brief relevant information here. 

Section 3. Declaration 

Provide the details of a non-UK representative and the UK-based Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) that will review the work.

• The non-UK representative will typically be a member of staff who will be working at the contractor/collaborator facility while the animal work takes place.

  • It is not necessary to provide details of a non-UK representative if this is not relevant to your project. For example, if animals are housed in a variety of different conditions outside typical captive research setting such as subsistence farms and domestic settings.

  • If there is a UK institution associated with the project it is expected that a UK AWERB will review the non-UK animal work in addition to the local ethical review that may take place overseas.

  • If the UK institutions has multiple AWERBs and the committee or subcommittee with the most relevant expertise on the study type and species should be selected.

  • If there is no UK institution associated with the work there in an option in indicate this with a check box.