Alltech has received full Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accreditation this year.
AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. Alltech joins more than 900 organizations, institutions and companies in 37 countries that have earned AAALAC accreditation; which has become the “gold standard” for animal research facilities.
“Alltech recognizes the importance of animals in research and the scientific and ethical responsibility for their humane care and use,” said Dr. Kate Jacques, director of nutrition and Alltech’s AAALAC institutional official. “The staff and scientists at the Alltech Research Farm are responsible for ensuring optimum health and well-being of animals in our nutrition studies. We are proud to meet AAALAC standards for accreditation and view this as a benchmark in Alltech's ACE approach, which demands safety for the animal, consumer and environment in all we do.”
AAALAC works with institutions and researchers to serve as a bridge between progress and animal well-being. Standards set by AAALAC are overseen at the institutional/research farm level by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC is a self-regulating committee that, according to federal laws, is established by institutions that use animals in research in order to oversee and evaluate all aspects of animal care and handling. It also conducts inspections of all areas where animals are housed or treated, reviews the institutional program for animal use, and reports its findings to the institutional official.
