Farm Animal Care Policies at Land-Grant Institutions

Abstract

To determine the types of policies being used to administer farm animal care and use, a survey was conducted of 47 1862 land-grant universities, from which 37 responses were received. While all institutions had an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), only six had established a separate committee for farm animals. In most cases, farm animal research and teaching proposals were submitted to the IACUC. Most of the institutions (24) had adopted the Consortium Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching. A few had developed institutional guides. Although 24 institutions had training programs for animal care personnel, only 15 required training of farm animal care personnel. It is recommended that: 1) the IACUC be utilized for oversight of farm animal programs if knowledgeable representation can be assured, 2) the Consortium Guide be officially adopted, 3) a set of Standard Operating Procedures be developed specific to each species and animal unit, and 4) a training program specific to farm animals be established and required of all full-time farm animal care personnel.