[Current regulations in the Animal Welfare Act and the significance for animal research]. / Aktuelle Regelungen im Tierschutzgesetz und Bedeutung für die tierexperimentelle Forschung.

Due to the legal implantation of the 3R principle, the number of laboratory animals decreased significantly over the past 10 years. In this article, the historical development of animal experiments over the last decade will be presented in the context of the current regulations of the Animal Welfare Act. It points out bureaucratic obstacles to the approval of animal experiments, which jeopardize Germany as a research location for both academia and industry. The article presents constructive proposals for solutions. This should be done in accordance with the DFG recommendation to ensure efficient biomedical research while maintaining the highest animal welfare standards.

Analysis of reported animal abuse in Campo Magro, Paraná, Brazil / Análise de denúncias de maus-tratos aos animais no município de Campo Magro, Paraná

Animal abuse is a criminal offense in Brazil and can be dealt with by several government agencies, including municipal ones. Cases of animal abuse reported to the Department of Health Surveillance, of the Municipal Health Secretariat of Campo Magro, Paraná, Brazil, between March of 2019 and December of 2020 were analyzed to assess the most common forms of abuse and animals involved. A total of 140 complaints were received in this period; 132 were investigated, of which 81 were considered authentic. The most common form of abuse was neglect 64.2% (52/81). Cases of neglect were further classified into four types (although cases may be classified with more than one type), resulting in 106 classifications of neglect. Behavioral neglect was the most common form of neglect 33.9% (36/106). As more than one animal could be involved in each report, the 81 authentic cases involved a total of 471 animals. Dogs were the species most commonly affected 78.5% (370/471). The vast majority of animal abuse was perpetrated against adult animals. Statistically significant correlations were found between the sex and age of dogs and abuse and between species and the different forms of abuse for dogs and cats.(AU)

Os maus-tratos aos animais são considerados crime no Brasil e o atendimento desse tipo de ocorrência pode ser realizado por diferentes órgãos governamentais, incluindo os municipais. O presente trabalho analisa denúncias atendidas pelo Departamento de Vigilância em Saúde, da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Campo Magro, Paraná, Brasil, entre março de 2019 e dezembro de 2020 e avalia os tipos mais comuns de maus-tratos a animais e os animais envolvidos. Um total de 140 denúncias foram recebidas e 132 foram fiscalizadas, destas, 81 foram consideradas procedentes. A forma mais prevalente de maus-tratos foi a negligência com 64,2% (52/81). Os casos de negligência foram classificados em quatro diferentes tipos (cada caso pode ser classificado em mais de um tipo de negligência). O tipo mais frequente foi a negligência comportamental com 33,9% (36/106). Como mais de um animal podia estar envolvido em cada caso de maus-tratos, os 81 casos procedentes contabilizaram 471 animais envolvidos. A espécie canina foi a mais afetada, sendo 78,5% (370/471). A maior parte dos casos de maus-tratos foram cometidos contra animais adultos. Correlações estatísticas significativas foram encontradas entre o sexo e faixa etária dos cães em relação à ocorrência de maus-tratos e, também, entre a espécie e os diferentes tipos de maus-tratos para cães e gatos.(AU)

Wildlife must be protected from crime and trade for the sake of public and planetary health.

COVID-19 most likely had its origins in wildlife, and hundreds of thousands of new viruses could spill over from wildlife to humans. We are struggling to combat climate change, and we are staring down the loss of a million species. It's time to change course.

Driving evidence-based improvements for the UK's 'Stressed. Lonely. Overweight. Bored. Aggressive. Misunderstood but loved' companion animals.

BACKGROUND: The Five Welfare Needs in UK animal welfare legislation underpin a legal duty of care and are an animal welfare assessment framework. Health and welfare problems arise when these needs are unmet. The veterinary professions work with others to address these problems, but there is no publicly funded U.K. companion animal welfare surveillance to identify priorities, or promote and monitor change. METHODS: The veterinary charity, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), together with the market research organisation, YouGov, has undertaken a longitudinal nationwide survey, assessing whether the U.K's pet dogs, cats and rabbits are having their Five Welfare Needs met. Data from nationally representative samples of pet-owning adults, drawn from YouGov's online survey panel, have been used to produce the PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report annually since 2011. RESULTS: Examples are given of how the PAW Report has been used to monitor trends in animal welfare problems, drive collaborative behaviour change campaigns, create evidence-based funding applications and inspire innovation in veterinary practice. CONCLUSION: The PAW Report has contributed to closing a gap in national companion animal welfare surveillance. When governments rely on non-governmental organisations to assist with animal welfare surveillance, reliable sources such as the PAW Report can inform research, policy and legislation.

Estimating mouse and rat use in American laboratories by extrapolation from Animal Welfare Act-regulated species.

Alone among Western nations, the United States has a two-tier system for welfare protections for vertebrate animals in research. Because its Animal Welfare Act (AWA) excludes laboratory rats and mice (RM), government veterinarians do not inspect RM laboratories and RM numbers are only partially reported to government agencies1. Without transparent statistics, it is impossible to track efforts to reduce or replace these sentient animals' use or to project government resources needed if AWA coverage were expanded to include them. I obtained annual RM usage data from 16 large American institutions and compared RM numbers to institutions' legally-required reports of their AWA-covered mammals. RM comprised approximately 99.3% of mammals at these representative institutions. Extrapolating from 780,070 AWA-covered mammals in 2017-18, I estimate that 111.5 million rats and mice were used per year in this period. If the same proportion of RM undergo painful procedures as are publicly reported for AWA-covered animals, then some 44.5 million mice and rats underwent potentially painful experiments. These data inform the questions of whether the AWA needs an update to cover RM, or whether the NIH should increase transparency of funded animal research. These figures can benchmark progress in reducing animal numbers in general and more specifically, in painful experiments. This estimate is higher than any others available, reflecting the challenges of obtaining statistics without consistent and transparent institutional reports.

Antimicrobial multidrug resistance in the era of COVID-19: a forgotten plight?

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global problem to which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may further contribute. With resources deployed away from antimicrobial stewardship, evidence of substantial pre-emptive antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients and indirectly, with deteriorating economic conditions fuelling poverty potentially impacting on levels of resistance, AMR threat remains significant. MAIN BODY: In this paper, main AMR countermeasures are revisited and priorities to tackle the issue are re-iterated. The need for collaboration is stressed, acknowledging the relationship between human health, animal health and environment ("One Health" approach). Among the stated priorities, the initiative by the European Medicines Regulatory Network to further strengthen the measures in combatting AMR is highlighted. Likewise, it is asserted that other emerging health threats require global collaboration with the One Health approach offering a valuable blueprint for action. CONCLUSION: The authors stress the importance of an integrated preparedness strategy to tackle this public health peril.

International primate neuroscience research regulation, public engagement and transparency opportunities.

Scientific excellence is a necessity for progress in biomedical research. As research becomes ever more international, establishing international collaborations will be key to advancing our scientific knowledge. Understanding the similarities in standards applied by different nations to animal research, and where the differences might lie, is crucial. Cultural differences and societal values will also contribute to these similarities and differences between countries and continents. Our overview is not comprehensive for all species, but rather focuses on non-human primate (NHP) research, involving New World marmosets and Old World macaques, conducted in countries where NHPs are involved in neuroimaging research. Here, an overview of the ethics and regulations is provided to help assess welfare standards amongst primate research institutions. A comparative examination of these standards was conducted to provide a basis for establishing a common set of standards for animal welfare. These criteria may serve to develop international guidelines, which can be managed by an International Animal Welfare and Use Committee (IAWUC). Internationally, scientists have a moral responsibility to ensure excellent care and welfare of their animals, which in turn, influences the quality of their research. When working with animal models, maintaining a high quality of care ("culture of care") and welfare is essential. The transparent promotion of this level of care and welfare, along with the results of the research and its impact, may reduce public concerns associated with animal experiments in neuroscience research.

A cross-sectional study of associations between herd-level calf mortality rates, compliance with legislation on calf welfare, and milk feeding management in Norwegian dairy herds.

Our aim was to investigate the associations between management factors, compliance with current legislation, and herd-level calf mortality. In a national calf welfare audit, veterinary inspectors from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority assessed compliance with current legislation on calf welfare (n = 912 herds). Nine criteria were assessed and rated as satisfactory (1) or not satisfactory (0): housing, natural behavior, single pens, colostrum feeding, feeding, water, surveillance, illness/injuries, and <5% mortality rate. In addition, a short questionnaire on milk feeding management for 3-wk-old calves was distributed to all national calf welfare audit herds, and data on mortality and disease recordings were obtained from the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System (NDHRS). A herd welfare compliance score (WCS) for each farm was constructed, summarizing the results for the individual criteria. Most herds had a high WCS (median 9.0, range 2-9). Fifty-six percent of the national calf welfare audit herds (508/912) responded to the questionnaire. We performed a cross-sectional study using a data set from 431 herds with available data on recorded disease and mortality events from the NDHRS, recordings from the national calf welfare audit, and the questionnaire. A mixed-effects negative binomial model with Norwegian Food Safety Authority district as the random effect was fitted to the data. Of the 416 herds with available data on calf mortality, 108 (25.9%) reported no mortality in 2016, and the median 6-mo mortality rate was 0.064 (interquartile range 0-0.11) dead calves per 6 calf-months at risk, based on NDHRS recordings. Calf mortality rates were higher in herds whose calves did not have free access to water (incidence rate ratio 1.29; 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.64) and higher in herds that had reported calf disease events (incidence rate ratio 1.31; 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.54). Neither the WCS nor any of the calf milk feeding management factors were associated with mortality, but more than half of producers (59.6%) fed less milk than currently recommended for 3-wk-old calves (8 L/d first 3 to 4 wk). These results indicate that a lack of access to water was associated with higher calf mortality rates. Herds with registered calf disease events had a higher incidence rate ratio of mortality. This finding may be linked to suboptimal calf management, leading to more calf diseases and mortality; or it may be that veterinary consultancy occurs too late or only for the worst cases. There is room for improvement in Norwegian dairy calf management, and water should be provided to young calves.

[Animal welfare problems from rearing to slaughter on cattle farms from an official veterinarian's perspective]. / Tierschutzprobleme von der Aufzucht bis zur Schlachtung in Rinderbetrieben aus amtstierärztlicher Sicht.

Official inspections of cattle farms in Germany regularly reveal a number of violations concerning animal welfare. This article first addresses the legal basis and technical principles, including basic terms, for cattle farmers. Subsequently, a discussion of animal welfare problems associated with the raising of calves and young cattle, dairy and beef cattle farming, transportation, as well as emergency slaughter of cattle from the viewpoint of veterinary authorities is provided. The aim is to familiarize practicing veterinarians with the methods for the assessment of animal welfare violations as performed by official veterinarians. Providing clients with information on these evaluation criteria may contribute to an avoidance of pain and suffering in cattle.