Licences and legislation
The procedures to be carried out on animals in the course of projects must be designed by a qualified individual. Some studies using animals are not animal experiments. In this case, an internal licence will be applied from Oulu Laboratory Animal Centre.
Project licences
Animal experimentation always requires a licence.
- Prior authorisation must be sought for any project involving the use of the following kinds of animals for scientific or educational purposes that may cause the animals a level of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm equivalent to, or higher than, that caused by the introduction of a needle:
- A project can be carried out only if there is no other scientifically satisfactory method in order to achieve the results set as the objective
- A project must be replaced entirely or partly whenever possible
- The number of animals may not be greater than necessary for achieving the objective
- The procedures shall be performed causing as less pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm to animals as possible
Internal licence
Internal licences can be applied for the studies which are not causing the pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm equivalent to the needle puncture. These licences can be approved locally.
The licence is applied in LabAnimals Pro as an internal licence. The approved study will be numbered with a OULAC licence number.
You will get the internal licence usually within a few days.
A new gene-manipulated strain must be reported by submitting the notification on gene modified animals to the OULAC register. It is legally required for laboratory animal establishments to have a list of all GM strains that are bred and maintained in the establishment. Risk assessment is an important part of the GM notification.
A GM register notification is made with a form that is delivered as an e-mail attachment to Hanna-Marja Voipio.
The GM register notification must be completed in the following cases:
- Starting the production of a new GM strain
- Two existing GM strains will be crossed
- A new GM strain will be transported to OULAC from elsewhere. The notification must be valid already during the transportation of the animals.
The register is specific to the GM strain. The strain marked in the register does not need to be registered again if it has been registered earlier by another researcher.