Laboratory Animals - General Code of Animal Welfare in China
(OIE Terrestrial animal health code - Chapter 7.8 - Use of animals in research and education, MOD)
Last December, China has released its first national standards governing the treatment of laboratory animals, and scientists hope the guidelines will improve both conditions for animals and China's prospects for international research collaborations.
The national standards cover topics such as euthanasia, pain management, transport, and housing. The standards also set requirements for breeding facilities and personnel training etc. Each year in research, China uses roughly 20 million animals—mostly mice, but also large numbers of dogs, rabbits, and nonhuman primates. More than 300,000 people work in the lab animal industry in China. The new standards are based on international best practices, and national standards are needed bring all labs into line with what is best for the animals, says Qin Chuan, professor of veterinary medicine and director of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences's Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences (ILAS) in Beijing.
Though China doesn’t have national standards specifically for Camelidae so far, we will make sure our alpacas and camels get the best possible living conditions in China and live a happy life with AlpalifeBio.