In December 2022, China implemented its first national standards addressing laboratory animal welfare, representing a major advancement in ethical research practices and international collaboration: https://std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbDetailed?id=F159DFC2A79D47EFE05397BE0A0AF334.
These regulations align with global best practices and establish guidelines for key aspects such as euthanasia, pain management, transportation, housing, breeding, personnel training, and ethical oversight. Each year, China conducts research involving roughly 20 million animals, primarily mice, along with significant numbers of dogs, rabbits, and nonhuman primates. The newly introduced standards aim to enhance animal care and ensure humane treatment in scientific studies.
While China has not yet developed specific welfare regulations for Camelidae species, Biointron is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards at our alpaca farm in China, ensuring a safe and well-managed environment for VHH antibody discovery.
Animal welfare has become a key issue in scientific and public discussions worldwide, spanning research, food production, and animal companionship. While some countries, such as the United Kingdom, recognized the importance of a scientific approach to animal welfare as early as 1926, other regions have only more recently developed structured policies. In Europe, animal welfare legislation has been in place since the 1970s, while middle-income countries such as Costa Rica (since 1994), the Philippines (since 1998), and Tanzania (since 2008) have also enacted national laws on animal welfare.
Although China has not historically been at the forefront of animal welfare, academic discussions on the topic began in the 1990s, and there has been a growing interest in both research and public discourse. The traditional Chinese concept of husheng (护生), meaning "protecting life," has historical roots in Buddhist philosophy, emphasizing non-cruelty toward animals and the natural environment. However, unlike Western definitions of animal welfare, husheng does not explicitly recognize animals as having intrinsic value.1
Over the past two decades, there has been a notable increase in Chinese scientific publications on animal welfare, particularly concerning farm animals. This shift reflects rising public concern, academic engagement, and China’s broader ambitions in science and food security. While most research has been problem-driven—focusing on practical issues in agriculture and laboratory animal use—there is an opportunity for China to further develop animal welfare science as a mature field, with stable funding and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Related: VHH Antibody Discovery
A key aspect of the new standards is the emphasis on the health and well-being of laboratory animals. Institutions conducting animal research must implement health monitoring protocols to safeguard animal welfare. The guidelines also incorporate internationally recognized ethical principles:
The Five Freedoms: Ensuring animals are free from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear, and able to express natural behaviors.
The Three Rs: Replacement (using alternatives when possible), Reduction (minimizing the number of animals used), and Refinement (improving procedures to reduce suffering).
Harm-Benefit Analysis: Research projects must evaluate the scientific benefits against the potential harm to animals, ensuring that the use of animals is justified.
Laboratory personnel are also held morally responsible for ensuring that experimental animals are maintained in a comfortable and stress-free state.
Biointron upholds these principles at its alpaca farm, ensuring that the animals receive proper care and live in a stress-free environment, which is essential for high-quality VHH antibody production.
The new regulations mandate that laboratory animal welfare is supervised throughout an animal’s life cycle, covering breeding, transportation, research use, and euthanasia. Ethical oversight is primarily managed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), which are responsible for:
Approving and reviewing experimental protocols.
Ensuring researcher qualifications and training.
Monitoring the welfare of laboratory animals.
Overseeing biosafety and occupational health.
The review process requires annual self-assessments, reporting to higher management authorities, and ongoing improvements based on ethical evaluations. Facilities are subject to semi-annual inspections to verify compliance with welfare regulations.
Before any research involving animals begins, a comprehensive project plan must be submitted for ethical review. This plan should include:
Scientific Justification: The necessity of using animals in research and its potential benefits.
Species Selection: Justification for using a particular species and minimizing the number of animals required.
Experimental Procedures: Details of surgical operations, drug administration, euthanasia methods, and pain mitigation strategies.
Animal Welfare Measures: Enrichment activities, humane handling methods, and appropriate housing conditions.
Ethical Considerations: Application of the Three Rs and risk assessments related to occupational health and safety.
Additionally, the review process includes an assessment of humane endpoints, ensuring that animals are not subjected to unnecessary suffering.
Housing, Nutrition, and Environmental Enrichment
The new guidelines specify strict standards for laboratory animal housing, aiming to create an environment conducive to physical and psychological well-being. The main requirements include:
Housing: Cages must provide sufficient space and be designed to support species-specific behaviors.
Nutrition: Feed should meet the nutritional needs of the animals, avoiding contamination and spoilage.
Drinking Water: Water supply systems must be maintained to ensure consistent availability of clean water.
Environmental Enrichment: Animals should have access to materials or structures that promote natural behaviors, reducing stress and anxiety.
For species that require social interaction, the regulations encourage group housing when possible. When solitary housing is necessary, additional enrichment should be provided to mitigate stress.
Laboratory animal veterinarians play a critical role in monitoring animal health and implementing disease prevention measures. Their responsibilities include:
Conducting clinical observations, vaccinations, and treatments.
Ensuring appropriate anesthesia and analgesia during procedures.
Performing humane euthanasia when necessary.
Overseeing surgical procedures and post-operative recovery.
Disease prevention strategies must also be in place, particularly when research involves different species. Effective biosafety measures must be adopted to prevent zoonotic disease transmission and maintain the integrity of research data.
The success of laboratory animal welfare programs depends on the expertise of researchers, veterinarians, and animal care technicians. The new regulations mandate:
A structured training system covering animal welfare, ethics, experimental design, and biosafety.
Certification programs to ensure that personnel handling animals are properly trained.
Continuous education and assessment of researchers, veterinarians, and technicians.
Institutions must implement competency-based evaluations to verify that personnel can perform procedures ethically and effectively. New staff are required to complete supervised training before working independently with laboratory animals.
The regulations emphasize that all laboratory animals must be obtained from legal and ethical sources. Institutions must:
Maintain accurate records of animal genetic background and health status.
Follow quarantine protocols when introducing new animals into a facility.
Use humane capture methods for wild animals when necessary.
The transportation of animals is also tightly regulated to minimize stress. Transport containers must be appropriately designed for the species being moved, and handling procedures should align with international welfare guidelines.
The introduction of these national standards represents a major advancement for China’s laboratory animal welfare policies. By aligning with international best practices, China aims to:
Improve the quality and reproducibility of scientific research.
Enhance ethical standards to attract global research partnerships.
Strengthen compliance with international regulations, facilitating collaborations with biotech and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.
While specific welfare regulations for Camelidae species such as alpacas and camels have not yet been established in China, Biointron remains committed to providing an ethical and safe environment for its alpacas, ensuring optimal conditions for VHH antibody discovery.
At Biointron, we are dedicated to accelerating antibody discovery, optimization, and production. Our team of experts can provide customized solutions that meet your specific research needs, including VHH Antibody Discovery. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help accelerate your research and drug development projects.
Guo, X., & Meijboom, F. L. (2023). The development of animal welfare science in China: An explorative analysis. Animal Welfare, 32, e72. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.93
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