Best Practices

Charles River is committed to the humane care of the research animals produced and used in all of our activities. Our commitment to animal welfare goes beyond just meeting regulatory requirements. Instead, we seek to implement best practice across business units worldwide.

Mechanisms to foster best practices include:

• Active participation at numerous national and international scientific meetings to ensure we both obtain and impart knowledge about best practice.
• Establishment of an Ethics Committee or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee responsible for each site. Representatives of these committees from all sites meet together on a regular basis to establish guidelines and identify and harmonize best practices.
• Regular site visits by the senior members of the Animal Welfare and Training Group to identify areas of excellence and facilitate sharing of this information with others.
• Establishment of a network of Animal Welfare Specialists for all business units worldwide. These individuals are appointed by the CEO and liaison with the Executive Director of Animal Welfare and Training on a regular basis.