IACUC Guiding Principles & Regulatory Agencies

The University of Arkansas adopts the standards for animal care described in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals ("the Guide").

All research and teaching activities that involve euthanasia must comply with the 2020 edition of the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals.

For field studies, the following resources should be consulted as appropriate, depending on the animals with which you are working:

Mammals: 2016 Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research and Education
Birds: Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research
Amphibians and Reptiles: Guidelines for the Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field and Laboratory Research
Fishes: Guidelines For the Use of Fishes in Research

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

USDA APHIS administers the Animal Welfare Act and Regulations (AWAR) which establishes standards for the humane treatment of laboratory animals. The AWAR includes dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and other warm-blooded animals. It excludes birds, rats (Rattus), mice (Mus), horses not used for research, and other farm animals including, but not limited to, livestock or poultry, used or intended for food or fiber, or used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, production efficiency, or improving quality of food and fiber. Please note that reptiles, amphibians, and fish are also excluded from the AWAR

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)

OLAW administers the PHS Policy on Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. All institutions that receive funding from a PHS agency (including NIH, CDC, and FDA, among others) or the National Science Foundation must have an approved Animal Welfare Assurance on file with OLAW.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA administers the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Additionally, 21 CFR 58, Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies, establishes standards for nonclinical studies involving the use of animals as follows:

The FDA also implements the Schedules of Controlled Substances. This may include substances used in animal research. Some substances may be subject to DEA control. In such cases, researchers are responsible for obtaining individual licenses (DEA and Arkansas Department of Health) to hold and use these substances.

Additional Laws and regulations

Additional laws and regulations may apply. Examples include but are not limited to:

State Laws and Regulations

Virtually all States regulate activities involving wildlife, including scientific research. Local resources include:

IACUC Meetings

Upcoming IACUC meetings are listed below. Presently, meetings are held via Microsoft Teams.

Here is a complete list of Research Integrity and Compliance events.

Reporting Animal Welfare Concerns

Any individual who has specific concerns that animals are not being used or treated in a humane and responsible manner by University faculty, staff, or students is encouraged to report such concerns to any member of the IACUC Program Staff (see below). The IACUC Chair, or other members of the IACUC appointed by the Chair, will investigate. If deficiencies are found, the IACUC will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of animals, and compliance with federal and state regulations and university policy on the care and use of animals in research, training and teaching activities.

Submit Anonymous Animal Welfare Report

From a mobile device, text @concerns to 35134. Reply with 1-YES to be sent a link to the reporting form.

Every effort will be made to protect the confidentiality, to the extent possible, of those reporting animal welfare concerns. Institutional members may not retaliate in any way against those reporting animal welfare concerns.