Laws and regulations for Animal Studies
Animal experiments are highly regulated in Norway, and there are several laws and regulations to deal with, as well as many international and European guidelines.
Main content
Relevant laws, regulations and guidelines
- Animal welfare act (Lov om dyrevelferd
- Regulation on the use of animals in research (Norw: "Forskrift om bruk av dyr i forsøk)
The Animal welfare act apply for all issues that affect the welfare for vertebrates, cephalopodes, cyclostomata, decapodes and honey bees. § 13 cover animals used in reserach, education and medical testing.
The Regulation on the use of animals in research apply especially for use of the same animals in research, education and testing.
Issues covered by the Norwegian Regulation on the use of Animals in Research
- Scope of the regulation- § 1
- Area of application - §§ 2, 3
- Definitions - § 4
- Approvals of institutions for animal experiments- §§ 5, 12
- Approval and Application of animal experiments - §§ 6, 7
- Project summary - § 8
- Compliance with the principles of the 3Rs - § 9
- Purpose of the study - § 10
- Methods, test strategies and endpoints - §11
- Ban of certain experiments - § 13
- Anesthesia and analgesia - § 14
- Termination of experiments - § 15
- Euthanasia and killing - § 16
- Reuse of animals - § 17
- Rehoming of animals - § 18
- Endangered species - § 19
- Primates - § 20
- Animal bred for purpose - §22
- Stray animals of domestic species - § 23
- Demands to competence - § 24
- Named persons with special responsibility for oversight - § 25
- Animal welfare body - § 26
- Named veterinarian or fish health specialist - § 27
- Responsibility of primary investigator - § 28
- Housing and care - § 28
- The physical plant and equipment - § 30
- Recordkeeping - § 31
- Records for dogs, cats and primates - § 32
- Marking of dogs, cats and primates - § 33
- Breeding plan for primates - §34
- Documentation - § 35
- Annual report - § 36
- Administrative issues - §§ 37-41
* Norms and standards for use of animals in research, education and testing
Standards or norms for use of animals in research, education and testing are largely reflected in the "Regulation on the use of animals in research" - but are not limited by this.
Norms for ethical use of animals include, among others
- Compliance with 3R - including continuous reassessment of
- Replacement
- Reduction
- Refinement
- Literature search in a systematic manner
- Design that provides reliable results and maximum information per animal
- Reporting according to ARRIVE guidelines
Law on research ethics
There is also a low on ethics in research saying that
- Researchers should act with care to ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with recognized research ethical norms*
- This also applies in preparation for research, reporting of research and other research-related activities