UW News

In December, the University of Wisconsin–Madison provided a set of records to Michael Budkie, an Ohio-based animal rights advocate, in accordance with Wisconsin public records law. Budkie requested all “reports of adverse events or unforeseen outcomes” involving animals in research reported to UW–Madison committees that oversee the care of animals in research and teaching from the beginning of 2015 to late August 2016. The university responded by providing relevant minutes from the committees’ meetings. As required by the federal law, UW–Madison has institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs) that include university veterinarians and researchers, as well as non-scientist members and people who are not affiliated with the university. IACUCs meet regularly to evaluate proposed research, review animal care, inspect housing and research facilities, and perform other oversight duties. The minutes of these committee meetings demonstrate the university’s robust system for monitoring and oversight of animal research — including reports …

Investigators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one of two federal agencies responsible for enforcement of the federal laws that regulate animal research, are reviewing the procedures and documentation for care of animals in research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. USDA veterinary medical officers visit UW–Madison and other university campuses several times a year for inspections of animal facilities and policies. Inspections at UW–Madison are often undertaken at the behest of animal rights organizations whose complaints to USDA are drawn from information UW–Madison veterinarians themselves report to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. UW–Madison’s researchers, veterinarians and staff take their work and the welfare of research animals in their care very seriously, and are working with USDA officials to supply any information they need.