The Committee on Animal Ethics and Welfare (CAEW) is authorized by the Directorate-General for the Environment, Board of Environmental Issues and Planning to evaluate projects using experimental animals (as per Royal Decree 53/2013 of February 1).


Characteristics

The CAEW of the IIS-FJD is charged with safeguarding respect for animal dignity and insuring human treatment, promoting to the greatest degree possible the welfare of animals used as experimental models for research or for hands-on teaching.


Responsibilities

1. Users shall refer to the CAEW as the ethics committee for experimental animals (Art. 37.1)

  • Advise staff members who handle animals on issues related to animal welfare as concerns procurement, housing, care, and use of animals.
  • Advise staff on how to apply the requisites of replacement, reduction, and refinement; staff will be updated on technical and scientific advances involving the application of this requirement.
  • Establish and review the internal operational processes concerning control, communication, and follow-up of information related to animal welfare.
  • Advise on schemes for rehoming or adoption, including appropriate socialization for animals that are to be rehomed or put up for adoption.
  • Draft the report referred to in article 33.1 and perform follow-up on projects, taking into account the impact that these measures have on experimental animals; also, establish and assess the elements that contribute most to replacement, reduction, and refinement.

2. Appointed to carry out appraisals and retrospective appraisals provided all requirements established in articles 39 and 43 are upheld.

  • The designated body shall submit a detailed annual report of its activity to the corresponding body; as a minimum, this report shall consist of a list of all the projects appraised or retrospectively evaluated. All documents must be in the possession of the corresponding body for at least three years.

3. All logs containing CAEW recommendations and all decisions made based on said recommendations shall be held for at least three years. These logs shall be made available to the designated body at the request of the latter.