Which federal acts regulate the care and use of laboratory animals in the United States, and which agencies enforce them?

• A. The Animal Welfare Act enforced by USDA APHIS Animal Care; and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals administered by OLAW.
• B. The Clean Water Act enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency.
• C. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.
• D. The National Environmental Policy Act enforced by the Council on Environmental Quality.

Answer: (A)

In the United States, care and use of laboratory animals are governed by both a statute and a policy linked to federal funding. The Animal Welfare Act is the main statute that sets standards for humane care and treatment of most warm-blooded animals in research, testing, and exhibition, and its enforcement is carried out by USDA APHIS Animal Care. The Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is a policy administered by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW); it applies to vertebrate animals used in federally funded research and is enforced through institutional assurances and PHS funding oversight, with OLAW providing compliance oversight. The other options address environmental protection, food/drug safety, or environmental impact rather than the care and use of laboratory animals, so they don’t regulate this topic.