[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27335-27336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11490]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Laboratory Animal Welfare: Proposed Adoption and Implementation
of the Eighth Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of Additional Extension of Comment Period.
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SUMMARY: NIH is further extending the period for public comments on (1)
NIH's adoption of the eighth edition of the Guide for the Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals (Guide) as a basis for evaluation of
institutional programs receiving or proposing to receive Public Health
Service (PHS) support for activities involving animals; and (2) if NIH
decides to adopt the eighth edition of the Guide, NIH's proposed
implementation plan, which would require that institutions complete at
least one semiannual program and facility evaluation using the eighth
edition of the Guide as the basis for evaluation by March 31, 2012. NIH
will consider comments on (1) The adoption of the Guide and (2) the
implementation plan. The notice on the proposed adoption and
implementation plan for the eighth edition of the Guide was published
in the Federal Register on February 24, 2011 (76 FR 10379). The comment
period is extended by an additional 30 days and thus will end on May
24, 2011. Additionally, character limits on the comment form fields
have been removed.
[[Page 27336]]
DATES: Written comments on the adoption and implementation of the
eighth edition of the Guide must be received by NIH on or before May
24, 2011, in order to be considered.
ADDRESSES: Public comments may be entered at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/2011guidecomments/add.htm. Character limits on the comment
form fields have been removed. If the character limit previously in
place prevented you from submitting your entire comment, please
resubmit by the deadline in order to be considered. Comments will be
made publicly available. Personally identifiable information (except
organizational affiliations) will be removed prior to making comments
publicly available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare,
Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health, RKL1,
Suite 360, 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-7982; telephone
301-496-7163.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Guide, first published in 1963, is a widely accepted primary
reference on animal care and use. Recommendations in the Guide are
based on published data, scientific principles, expert opinion, and
experience with methods and practices that are determined to be
consistent with high quality, humane animal care and use. The eighth
edition of the Guide was published in January 2011 following a study by
the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS). The NAS study process began in 2008 and followed the
requirements of Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The
NAS study process is described at the NAS Web site: http://www.nationalacademies.org/studyprocess/index.html.
Since 1985, the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals, authorized by Public Law 99-158, 42 U.S.C. 289d, and
incorporated by reference at 42 CFR 52.8 and 42 CFR 52a.8, has required
that institutions receiving PHS support for animal activities base
their animal care and use programs on the current edition of the Guide
and comply, as applicable, with the Animal Welfare Act and other
Federal statutes and regulations relating to animal activities. The PHS
Policy is applicable to all PHS-conducted or -supported activities
(including research, research training, experimentation, biological
testing, or related purposes) involving live vertebrate animals.
The eighth edition of the Guide contains substantive changes and
additions from the previous edition. To gain insight from institutions
on the impact of changes to the Guide on their animal care and use
programs, NIH seeks comments on whether it should adopt the eighth
edition of the Guide. NIH simultaneously proposes an implementation
plan for the eighth edition of the Guide and seeks comments on the
proposed plan.
The implementation plan proposed by NIH would require institutions
to complete at least one semiannual program and facility evaluation,
using the eighth edition of the Guide as the basis for evaluation, by
March 31, 2012. For such an evaluation to be considered complete by
NIH, it would need to include reasonable and specific plans and
schedules for corrections of deficiencies where appropriate.
II. Electronic Access
The eighth edition of the Guide is available on the NIH Office of
Laboratory Animal Welfare Web site at http://olaw.nih.gov.
Dated: May 4, 2011.
Francis S. Collins,
Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2011-11490 Filed 5-10-11; 8:45 am]
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