Minimizing harm in agricultural animal experiments in New Zealand.
Intrusive agricultural experiments published in New Zealand in the last five years are reviewed in terms of the degree of animal suffering involved, and the necessity for this suffering in relation to research findings. When measured against animal welfare criteria of the Ministry of Agriculture, thirty-six studies inflicted "severe" or "very severe" suffering. Many of these experiments had questionable short-term applications, had an application restricted to agricultural production or economic growth, or could have been modified to prevent or reduce suffering.
Morris
M C
MC
Environmental Studies, School of Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.
Weaver
S A
SA
D000383:Agriculture; D035661:Animal Care Committees; D032761:Animal Experimentation / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D009520:New Zealand; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D012107:Research Design; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control