Legal
LEGISLATION REGARDING ANIMALS IN JAMAICA
There are various laws which are relevant to animal welfare in Jamaica. Links to the laws are given here as well as recommendations for updating them. Links to laws of other countries are presented to facilitate comparison.
Legislation and Facts
Animal Experimentation in other countries
Animal experimentation regulations and practices vary widely in different countries, with some countries having stricter regulations than others.
United Kindom
The UK has strict regulations for animal testing under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which requires three licenses for each experiment involving animals. The Act mandates that experiments must use the minimum number of animals, cause the least pain and suffering, and be the most likely to produce satisfactory results. The Home Office conducts regular inspections of animal testing facilities to ensure compliance with these regulations. Institutions conducting animal research, including universities, commercial organizations, and non-profit organizations, must retain the services of a ‘Named Veterinary Surgeon’ to ensure the welfare of research animals. As a result of transposing Directive 2010/63/EU, changes were made to the way research is reviewed and approved in the UK, including the requirement for an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body to consider and monitor project applications.
France
In France, legislation (principally the decree of October 19, 1980) requires an institutional and project license before testing on vertebrates is carried out. An institution must submit details of their facilities and the reason for the experiments, after which a five-year license may be granted following an inspection of the premises. The project licensee must be trained and educated to an appropriate level. Personal licenses are not required for individuals working under the supervision of a project license holder. These regulations do not apply to research using invertebrates.
United States of America
The Animal Welfare Act and its regulations set standards for animal care and use in the United States. Section 2.31(d) outlines specific requirements for minimizing pain and distress to animals used in research. Procedures causing more than momentary or slight pain or distress must be performed with appropriate pain relief, involve consultation with a veterinarian, and not include the use of paralytics without anesthesia. Animals experiencing severe or chronic pain or distress must be euthanized. Living conditions for animals must be appropriate for their species, and medical care must be provided as necessary.
Canada
The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) is set up to act in the interests of the people of Canada to ensure through programs of education, assessment and guidelines development that the use of animals, where necessary, for research, teaching and testing employs optimal physical and psychological care according to acceptable scientific standards, and to promote an increased level of knowledge, awareness and sensitivity to relevant ethical principles. At the inaugural meeting on January 30, 1968, the CCAC adopted the following statement of objective: “to develop guiding principles for the care of experimental animals in Canada, and to work for their effective application”. Each individual province has jurisdiction to pass laws that regulate experiments on animals.
Germany
The German Animal Welfare Act, 1972, is designed to enforce the utilitarian principle that there must be good reason for one to cause an animal harm and identifies that it is the responsibility of human beings to protect the lives and well-being of their fellow creatures. The Animal Welfare Act is supplemented by the Animal Protection Laboratory Animal Regulations, 2013, and the European Directive 2010/63/EU. All animal research facilities must be inspected at least every three years, with facilities conducting primate research being inspected at least once per year.
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