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Science organisations pledge openness in animal research and teaching in New Zealand
21 universities, institutes of technology, non-profits, Crown Research Institutes, government organisations, umbrella bodies, research funding organisations and learned societies commit to communicate openly about animal use.
New Zealand will be the first country outside Europe with an animal research openness agreement, launched today in Queenstown at the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART) 2021 conference.
New Zealand has long been committed to maintaining and improving high standards of animal welfare, as well as undertaking world-leading research and teaching using animals, controlled under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. The scientific community in New Zealand recognises the importance of demonstrating and promoting values that contribute to these animal welfare standards.
The objective of the Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching in New Zealand is to ensure that the public are well informed about animal research (including the benefits, harms, and limitations). Topics such as the role animal research plays in the process of scientific discovery, how research is regulated in New Zealand, and what researchers and animal care staff do to promote positive animal welfare should be addressed. Communication should be realistic about the ethical considerations involved (including that of the 3Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement). Research is done that aims to benefit humans, animals, and the environment.
New Zealand’s agreement is modelled on the UK’s 2014 ground-breaking Concordat on openness on animal research led by Understanding Animal Research. Similar agreements followed in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and France, with the assistance of the European Animal Research Association. The New Zealand Board of ANZCCART gratefully acknowledges the extensive work by these organisations who continue to inform and support progress on these issues in Aotearoa New Zealand and this ANZCCART-led Openness Agreement initiative.
Professor Pat Cragg, Chair of the New Zealand Board of ANZCCART and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of Otago, said: “Public confidence in animal research depends on the scientific community taking part in an on-going conversation about why, and how animals are used. Through signing this openness agreement, the signatory organisations have committed to having this conversation with the public.
“At the time that the UK Concordat was launched, there were mixed responses from New Zealand delegates. Responses ranged from ‘yes we must do this too’ through to ‘let’s be very cautious about this’.
“When I returned to the New Zealand Board as Chair in early 2020 I was delighted to see such an agreement was well underway. Now, seven years on from the Concordat, the NZ Openness Agreement is ready to launch. The working group and the many institutions involved in the consultation phase that have worked tirelessly to bring this agreement to fruition are to be congratulated. Being open about why and how we use animals in research and teaching is just so important,” Professor Cragg said.
Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles, microbiologist and animal researcher, University of Auckland, said:
“I am delighted that Aotearoa New Zealand finally has an Openness Agreement and applaud the many organisations and institutions that have signed up to it. I hope the Agreement will encourage and support researchers and organisations to be more open about their work that involves animals. In doing so, the public will be better informed not just about the incredible research being done in New Zealand for the benefit of both humans and animals, but also about the dedication and care of the many researchers and technical staff involved.”
Dr Jodi Salinsky, Animal Welfare Officer and University Veterinarian, University of Auckland and Chair of the Openness Agreement Working Group, said: “We are thrilled to launch the Openness Agreement in Aotearoa New Zealand. This will help organisations that conduct, fund or support animal research communicate about the crucial work that is being done on the public’s behalf, by dedicated researchers, technicians and animal care staff. The judicious use of animals in research remains vital to scientific, medical, and veterinary progress. There is no better time than the current pandemic to help our community understand the important contribution of this work. We look forward to the day when animals are no longer needed and honour the animals for the advances made that allow treatments, vaccinations, and cures for diseases to be found.”
The Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching in New Zealand is published today (27 July 2021), signed by 21 organisations from across the science sector that carry out, fund or support the use of animals in research or teaching.
These 21 signatories have formally agreed to the Openness agreement’s five commitments:
- We will be clear about why and how we use animals in research and teaching
- We will enhance our communications with the media and the public about our use of animals in research and teaching
- We will enhance our communications with tangata whenua about our use of animals in research and teaching
- We will be proactive in providing opportunities for the public to find out about research and teaching using animals
- We will report on progress annually and share our experiences
Under each of the commitments are actions that signatories can take to fulfil them, such as identifying spokespeople who will answer questions about an organisation’s use of animals; supporting researchers who would like to talk about their work using animals; including information on the role that animal research has played in announcements of scientific advances, and providing images and videos of the reality of animal research.
The Openness agreement was prepared by a working group representing 13 organisations including universities, peak scientific bodies, crown research institutes, non-profit organisations, and a multi-national bio pharmaceutical company. Reviews were provided by the ANZCCART NZ Board and there was a twelve-week public consultation in early 2021.
Further organisations that carry out, fund, or support animal research in any way are invited to sign the Openness Agreement at any time.
The inaugural signatories are:
AgResearch
ANZLAA
AstraZeneca
Auckland Zoo
AUT
Callaghan Innovation
Department of Conservation
Lincoln University
Malaghan Institute
Massey University
New Zealand Veterinary Association
NIWA
Otago Medical Research Foundation
Royal Society Te Apārangi
SPCA NZ
Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Te Pukenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago
University of Waikato
A copy of Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching in New Zealand will be available from www.anzccart.org.nz/
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Dr Sally Birdsall, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland
For many people animal research is a mystery, which is worrying for scientists. My research has found that while some young women are concerned about the use of animals in research, their awareness was not consistent with the reality of animal research in Aotearoa New Zealand. Also, they lacked awareness about the legislation governing the use of animals in research, and were mistrustful that scientists were following these regulations.
The Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching in New Zealand provides a way to unveil the mystery. It offers an avenue for greater transparency, where scientific research that relies on animals can be made more visible to the public. The Agreement will allow the public to develop a greater awareness of how animals are an integral part of the practice of science, which animals are used and the benefits of their use. Aotearoa New Zealand has high standards of animal welfare that are part of our laws. Through greater transparency, the public will be able to see how scientists adhere to the regulations, taking steps to ensure that their animals are well cared for, and that the animals are valued.
In these ways, people can have more open, informed discussions about the use of animals in research, gaining a greater appreciation of the important role animals play in scientific practice.
Professor Craig Johnson, Professor of Veterinary Neurophysiology and Animal Welfare Science, Director of Research Ethics & Co Director, Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University
The new ANZCCART Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching represents a significant step forwards in our social debate about what constitutes appropriate use of animals. The nineteen signatories are making a public commitment to be more open in how they communicate the work that they do with animals, and this will enable conversations about the ethics of animal use to be better informed and grounded in reality.
Our modern democratic society rightly demands that we maintain social license for all that we do. We can best achieve that by communicating openly about what we are doing, and the regulations and limitations that we place on our work.
New Zealand has a world-class regulatory framework that governs the use of animals for research and teaching, and we have no reason to be shy of public scrutiny in this area. Indeed, being open and honest about our animal use, along with its costs and benefits, is more likely to reassure society and maintain public license than to erode it.
Dr Mike King, Senior Lecturer, Te Pokapū Matatika Koiora / The Bioethics Centre, University of Otago
This agreement is an immensely valuable achievement. Animal research and teaching can only occur if a society consents to it, permitting researchers and teachers to do their work, and allowing others – people, non-human animals, and the environment – to benefit from the results of this work. Without consent from society, expressed through public agreement, and facilitated by law and policy, animal research and teaching will diminish, and any value it offers will diminish as well.
Like consent to anything, for it to be ethically valid those giving it must have access to information they reasonably need to decide whether they agree with what they are consenting to. There is already information about animal use in research available, for example through the data collected and made publicly available by the Ministry for Primary Industries, and from some organisations and individuals involved in animal research and teaching. But more is needed. The Openness Agreement signed today expresses publicly the commitment of signatories to adopt and pursue openness as one of the anchoring principles of their animal research and teaching.
What does greater openness look like? Primarily it is envisioned as organisations involved explaining why and how animals are used in their research and teaching. A crucial further commitment is to communicate this information to tangata whenua. This information is essential for informing the ongoing deliberation, public and private, by individuals and groups, whānau and families, hapū and iwi, about whether and what uses of animals in research and teaching are justifiable or tika. There will be different views about what information is needed to explain this, and what constitutes fulfilment of these commitments. It is unlikely that all will agree on this topic, but they will have the opportunity to be more informed. Animal research and teaching is an ethically complex issue, and informed, reasonable disagreement about it is an opportunity for ethical progress to be made. Animals are central to this issue, and should be central beneficiaries of this progress.
Dr Helen Beattie, Chief Veterinary Officer, New Zealand Veterinary Association
The New Zealand Veterinary Association strongly supports the development of New Zealand’s own Openness Agreement on the use of animals in research and teaching. As such, we are pleased to be one of the inaugural signatories on the Agreement. We look forward to increased transparency in conversations about the role of animal research in our society. This will ensure that animal welfare remains the central principle, while the public, researchers, educators and animal care staff can constructively exchange their viewpoints on the issue.
Associate Professor Malcolm Tingle, Head of Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland
"In New Zealand there is oversight of the use of animals for Research, Testing and Teaching (RTT) under the Animal Welfare Act, 1999. This requires that any intention to use animals for such purposes are assessed by a local animal ethics committee (AEC), and this should include a commitment to use the information obtained as part of justifying the ethical cost. Whilst this is often done at the level of the individual, for instance by a researcher publishing the results of their experiments as part of normal academic practice, there has been a reluctance for organisations to be open with the public about animal use. This in part has been driven by a fear of anti-vivisection activities, adverse publicity and in some cases the potential for distress and/or harm to employees and students using animals from such activities. Whilst some details are made public, such as animal use statistics, these are often presented in an anodyne way as possible. As such, the use of animals for RTT in New Zealand has relied on a high trust model operating largely behind closed doors. The Openness Agreement should be seen as a very welcome move to provide some clarity on what is actually done with animals through the 5 commitments.
"Increasing public scrutiny in a non-confrontational way has the potential to improve the use of animals for RTT, particularly by increasing the justification for the species and numbers used, as well as the manipulations performed. Committing to the use of PREPARE and ARRIVE guidelines allows fellow scientists anywhere in the world to make a more informed assessment of the validity of data generated and many scientific journals now insist that authors provide this information in order to get the work published. It is just a shame that it has taken New Zealand so long to reach this commitment."
