LASA 2015

Prof. Andrews presented a talk on behalf of COST FA1301 entitled  “What happens when a new class of animal becomes regulated? Challenges and lessons arising from inclusion of cephalopods in Directive 2010/63/EU”  at the Winter Meeting of the UK Laboratory Animal Science Association meeting held in Brighton  on 26^th November 2015.

The audience included animal technologists, regulators, members of animal  welfare organisations and researchers.

This invited 35 minute presentation was  part of a jointly hosted session between LAVA and LASA Aquatics entitled “Swimming against the tide” and other talks included: “Welfare challenges in aquaculture; Science of UK seals; Development of technologies for studying cardiac dysfunction by larval zebrafish ECG measurement; Accurate welfare assessment in zebrafish: developing an automated intelligent monitoring tool; Surgical procedures in aquatics; Surfing the 3Rs wave; Zebrafish models of neurodegenerative disease; Extreme adaptations, ecosystem function and application of the 3Rs in the Antarctic.

The main sections of the presentation were:

A very brief introduction to cephalopods and their research uses;

Why were cephalopods included in the Directive?;

How did the cephalopod research community respond to the Directive?;

Development of Guidelines for Care and Welfare of cephalopods in the laboratory-Practical implications for research post-Directive;

Determining the threshold for regulation and severity of procedures ( a brief overview of the PAS-C severity survey);

Wider lessons from the “cephalopod Directive” experience.

Prof Andrews closed the presentation with the “crab in the jar” video kindly provided by Dr Fiorito.

Of relevance to the COST FA1301 mission was a question on “why cephalopods are not more widely used in research?”

Prof. Paul Andrews acted as representative of CephsInAction.

“Prof. Andrews was not financially supported by the COST Action FA1301 for attending to this event” –  Thank you Prof. Andrews!