The Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership for determining standards of humane care and treatment of animals. APHIS implements those standards and achieves compliance through inspection, education, and cooperative efforts. Within APHIS, Animal Care is the operational unit responsible for implementing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). First enacted in 1966, the AWA has been amended several times significantly expanding the original scope. The AWA requires the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate standards governing the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by research facilities, dealers and exhibitors. These standards must include minimum requirements for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation, ventilation, shelter from extremes of weather and temperatures, separation of species, and adequate veterinary care, including the appropriate use of anesthetic, analgesic, or tranquilizing drugs. The Act also requires the USDA to establish minimum requirements for the exercise of dogs, for a physical environment to promote the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates and to ensure animal pain and distress are minimized during experiments. For complete details, please refer to the documents below.
APHIS Research Facility Inspection Guide
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