| What are
the responsibilities of the Animal Welfare Officer?
Wherever Bayer conducts animal studies, an expert is always
appointed to deal with animal welfare matters. This applies
worldwide. Without exception. In Germany, it is the Animal
Welfare Officer who takes on this important responsibility.
The influence of this person’s position is indicated
by the fact that he is has managerial authority in all matters
of animal welfare. He acts with the full support of the Board
of Management.
The Animal Welfare Officer monitors all the laboratories
and institutes within Bayer AG which are involved in animal
studies. In real terms, this means Bayer HealthCare (pharmaceutical
research), Bayer CropScience (crop protection) and Bayer Industry
Services (environmental matters, training). He manages the
Animal Welfare Office in which veterinarians, biology laboratory
technicians and animal handlers work together.
Advising scientists
The Animal Welfare Officer and his team advise scientists
within the company who wish to conduct animal studies for
research purposes on subjects such as the legal requirements
with which they must comply and the principles which are applied
within Bayer. He also advises on the selection of appropriate
animal study methods and the appropriate species to use. The
Animal Welfare Office also purchases specially manufactured
laboratory animal feed and supplies transgenic
mice from its own breeding unit.
Cooperation with the authorities
External laboratories and academic research institutes are
employed by Bayer to conduct animal studies only if their
working methods are in keeping with Bayer’s principles.
The Animal Welfare Officer also monitors this - in the form
of a personal site inspection.
Cooperation with the animal welfare authorities is another
of the Animal Welfare Officer’s responsibilities. He
applies for study and (if necessary) import licenses and compiles
the data which have to be submitted in accordance with the
ordinance governing the notification of laboratory animals.
In other words: the Animal Welfare Officer and his team are
contacts both internally and externally - not just for Bayer
employees but also for the supervisory authorities and for
the media.
When animal studies are conducted, this is always done on
the basis of the latest scientific findings and methods. The
Animal Welfare Officer also plays a role here: he posts information
on current developments in the management and care of laboratory
animals on the Animal Welfare Office’s website - and
this information is therefore immediately accessible for all
employees.
Finally, continuing education requirements include participating
in specialist conferences, ongoing dialogue with co-workers
and involvement in national and international animal welfare
committees and in pharmaceutical industry association committees.
The aims are:
- to monitor and continuously improve levels of animal
welfare
- to represent the interests of the industry in the
shaping of the legal framework conditions for work
involving animal studies.
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The Animal Welfare Officer and his team ensure that:
- animal studies are kept to a minimum
- each animal study is preceded by a careful internal
and external review
- the most suitable animal species is used for each
study
- animal husbandry and care is based on the latest
scientific findings
- all external partners permit stringent monitoring
- only animals bred specifically for studies are
used.
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