Annex 6

CHAPTER 7.8.USE OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

[...]

Article 7.8.1.

**Definitions**

For the purposes of this chapter the following definitions apply:

**Biocontainment** means the system and procedures designed to prevent the accidental release of biological material including allergens.

**Bioexclusion** means the prevention of the unintentional transfer of adventitious organisms with subsequent infection of animals, resulting in adverse effects on their health or suitability for research.

**Biosecurity** means a continuous process of risk assessment and risk management designed to minimise or eliminate microbiological infection with adventitious organisms that can cause clinical disease in the infected animals or humans, or make animals unsuitable for biomedical research.

**Cloned animal** means a genetic copy of another living or dead animal produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer or other reproductive technology.

**~~Distress~~**~~means the state of an animal, that has been unable to adapt to stressors, and that manifests as abnormal physiological or behavioural responses. It can be acute or chronic and may result in pathological conditions.~~

**Endangered species** means a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters.

**Environmental enrichment** means increasing the complexity (e.g. with toys, cage furniture, foraging opportunities, social housing, etc.) in a captive animal’s environment to foster the expression of non-injurious species-typical behaviours and reduce the expression of maladaptive behaviours, as provide cognitive stimulation.

**Ethical review** means consideration of the validity and justification for using animals including: an assessment and weighing of the potential harms for animals and likely benefits of the use and how these balance (see harm-benefit analysis below); and consideration of experimental design; implementation of the Three Rs; animal husbandry and care and other related issues such as personnel training. Ethical judgements are influenced by prevailing societal attitudes.

**Harm-benefit analysis** means the process of weighing the likely adverse effects (harms) to the animals against the benefits likely to accrue as a result of the proposed project.

**Humane endpoint** means the point in time at which an experimental animal’s pain and/or distress is avoided, terminated, minimised or reduced, by taking actions such as giving treatment to relieve pain and/or distress, terminating a painful procedure, removing the animal from the study, or humanely killing the animal.

**Laboratory animal** means an animal that is intended for use in research. In most cases, such animals are purpose-bred to have a defined physiological, metabolic, genetic or pathogen free status.

**Operant conditioning** means the association that an animal makes between a particular response (such as pressing a bar) and a particular reinforcement that may be positive (for example, a food reward) or negative (e.g. a mild electric shock). As a result of this association, the occurrence of a specific behaviour of the animal can be modified (e.g. increased or decreased in frequency or intensity).

**~~Pain~~**~~means an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. It may elicit protective actions, result in learned avoidance and distress and may modify species-specific traits of behaviour, including social behaviour.~~

**Project proposal** (sometimes called protocol) means a written description of a study or experiment, programme of work, or other activities that includes the goals of the work, characterises the use of the animals, and includes ethical considerations.

**~~Suffering~~**~~means an unpleasant, undesired state of being that is the outcome of the impact on an animal of a variety of noxious stimuli and/or the absence of important positive stimuli. It is the opposite of good welfare.~~

[...]

___________________________

Report of the Meeting of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission/February 2023	1

Report of the Meeting of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission/February 2023	1