Publication Database

Severity assessment in animal experimentation:
Is that ethical? (2019)

Art

Vortrag

Autoren

Hohlbaum, Katharina (WE 11)

Zintzsch, Anne

Weich, Kerstin

Kongress

14th FELASA congress 2019

Prag, 10. – 13.06.2019

Quelle

Lab animal

Bandzählung: 53

Heftzählung: 1S

Seiten: 102

ISSN: 0093-7355

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0023677219839199

DOI: 10.1177/0023677219839199

Kontakt

Institut für Tierschutz, Tierverhalten und Versuchstierkunde

Königsweg 67
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 61146
tierschutz@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

To evaluate pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm in animal experiments a severity assessment and classification system has been established in order to promote and harmonize animal welfare across the EU. The definition of harmful procedures is laid down in EU Directive 2010/63, though it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Severity assessment and classification is one of the main responsibilities of laboratory animal veterinarians. However, in everyday veterinary practice, they are often confronted with inadequately defined requirements and ethical questions are raised, which need to be discussed interdisciplinary. The Network of Veterinary Ethics, which combines ethics and veterinary medicine, has initiated a discussion in order to clarify morally relevant harms in terms of animal welfare. Currently, the morality of severity assessment is based on the principles of pathocentrism, hence the severity assessment and classification system focuses on negative experiences of animals as a result of painful or distressful procedures. In laboratory animal science this morality does not work as well-being cannot be clearly assessed by humans in all cases. As a consequence, severity classification of procedures and genetically caused phenotypes are not harmonized across Europe. There is an urgent need for improving criteria determining harmful procedures or phenotypes to reach a transparent and consistent understanding of harms inflicted to animals. The moral
mandate of veterinarians to reduce harm to animals to an indispensable minimum cannot be fulfilled due to the lack of uniformity. The Network of Veterinary Ethics will present the outcomes of its discussion and possible solutions.