We are pleased to share our new information sheet “Roadmap to reducing ‘severe’ suffering”. This resource has been developed to enable all members of Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs) to help reduce, and avoid, ‘severe’ suffering at their establishments and to advise on refining procedures at all severity levels. It is also relevant to members of other similar bodies worldwide, such as Animal Welfare Bodies, Animal Ethics Committees and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees.
The Roadmap is a free, user-friendly exercise that provides a structured and practical framework that enables users to:
- Evaluate procedures that could cause ‘severe’ suffering, focusing on the three main reasons for ‘severe’ suffering (i.e. severe disease models, cumulative effects and mortality), although it can be applied to any level of suffering.
- Identify contributing factors and implement refinements, using tailored welfare assessment protocols to ensure their effectiveness.
- Overcome any obstacles to refinement, review your work and plan the next steps.
The new sheet explains how to use the Roadmap and can be downloaded here. It is ideal for introducing the concept of the Roadmap to your establishment and encouraging people to trial the approach.
We have received extremely positive feedback about the Roadmap from many individuals and organisations, and we encourage users to download and use this resource to support their ongoing commitments to reducing suffering and improving animal welfare.