At SDU an Animal Welfare Body (AWB) has been established since 2012. The European Directive 2010/63/EU states that animal-welfare considerations should be given the highest priority in the context of animal keeping, breeding and use, and animal facilities should therefore have an animal-welfare body in place with the primary task of focusing on giving advice on animal-welfare issues. The AWB should also follow the development and outcome of projects at establishment level, foster a climate of care and provide tools for the practical application and timely implementation of recent technical and scientific developments in relation to the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement, in order to enhance the life-time experience of the animals.
The tasks of the AWB are to:
- advise on animal welfare issues related to acquisition, housing, care and use;
- advise on the application of the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement;
- information on the technical and scientific developments in the field of replacement, reduction and refinement;
- establish and execute internal operational procedures for monitoring, reporting and follow up on welfare issues of animals housed or used at the establishments;
- monitor the development and results of the projects, taking into account the impact on the animals used and the identifications and advice on factors that may contribute to replacement, reduction and refinement, and
- advise on planes on how animals to be re-housed or put back into a habitat or production system appropriate to the species, rehabilitation, including socialization.
The AWB at the Biomedical Laboratory consists of:
- Stefanie Kolstrup, acting head, veterinarian
- Louise Langhorn, veterinarian
- Karina Brinkmann-Mandrupsen, animal keeper
- Michelle Paarup, animal keeper
- Diana Hansen, animal keeper
- Ann-Britt Marcher, scientific fellow (Faculty of Natural Sciences)
- Henrik Dimke, professor (Faculty of Health Sciences)
- Solveig Refsgaard, hospital priest
For biological and marine biological research:
- Veterinarian Louise Langhorn
- Lektor Magnus Wahlberg
- Special consultant Kirstin Anderson Hansen
- Lektor Coen Elemans
- Laborant Sonja Jakobsen
The AWB can be contacted via dvo@sdu.dk.