Guidelines and Policies

The delivery of the CCAC’s mandate is based on guidelines, policies, and other related documents which give clear direction to institutional animal care and use programs. Standards are developed and revised in response to current and emerging needs of the research community, advances in laboratory animal care, and gaps perceived by assessment panels, all while incorporating the Three Rs principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement.

To support the implementation of guidelines, the CCAC works with volunteer subcommittees of experts to develop and revise guidelines for the care and use of animals in science (following an established process), and other resources. These guidelines documents are all rooted in the CCAC’s fundamental principles.

The CCAC’s policies establish the ground rules and basic requirements for each institutional animal care and use program within the Canadian system of oversight through assessments based on CCAC guidelines and other recognized standards of ethical animal care and use.