Animal Welfare Act is Broadened to Cover Rodents, Birds

Responding to a lawsuit by animal rights activists, the Agriculture Department has agreed to expand its regulation of research animals to include rats, mice and birds.

Research groups say the additional paperwork that USDA would require will cost biomedical laboratories $80 million to $90 million, money now going into scientific studies. The department reached the agreement in an out-of-court settlement that has yet to be approved by a federal judge.

USDA’s regulations under the Animal Welfare Act are now limited to larger animals, such as chimpanzees, cats and guinea pigs.

Hailed as Animals Rights Victory

“This is a significant victory for animals,” said Tina Nelson, executive director of the American Anti-Vivisection Society, an animal rights group. “The more than 90 percent of animals used in laboratories who currently have no legal protection could now be covered by federal law.”

USDA spokesman Andy Solomon said the proposed settlement was “prudent and responsible.” Once the settlement is approved, the department will propose rules for regulating rodents and birds, and both animal rights activists and researchers will have a chance to comment on them, he said.

Scientists who oppose the move by the department say that mice, rats and birds already are sufficiently protected because of much of the research is done under grants from government health agencies that have animal-care standards.

“From our point of view we don’t see the value of duplicate regulations that are very expensive, that are not going to improve animal welfare, especially when this agency doesn’t have the resources to do what they are properly doing now,” said Barbara Rich, executive vice president for the National Association for Biomedical Research.

More Documentation Required

The department is likely to require labs to report the number of animals they are using and categorize the type of pain and distress that they are under, Rich said today. Research institutions also could be required to consider alternatives to animals for research, such as computer simulations.