f6098d8b__and_Use_of_Laboratory_Animals__Comments
[ID] 529 [Entry Date] 04/27/2011 at 10:11:01 PM [Affiliation] Self [Comments] 
Comment 1: I urge you to vote against adopting the 2010 Guide as PHS policy, maintaining adherence to the 1996 Guide. The 2010 Guide can significantly increase the financial burden of animal research for small-scale animal research and teaching programs. These small programs are essential for promoting and providing a broader range of trainees access to basic bio-social research—especially with access to training in research methods in this area. If you feel compelled to adopt the guide because there currently are no guidelines for aquatic species, then identify the 2010 guide as the authority for aquatic species specifically, and exempt other species at this time. Comment 2: In the event the 2010 guide is adopted, provide researchers at least 4 years (e.g., 2015) to come into compliance given the expense of a variety of cage size and housing requirements at a time of great financial difficulty for research institutions. NIH should develop instrumentation grant programs to assist facilities in meeting any new guidelines. Of particular importance is funding to maintain teaching programs. It is impractical for educational institutions to charge students laboratory fees of sufficient magnitude to recoup the costs for upgrading equipment and related practices.
Listing of Public Comments on Proposed Adoption and Implementation of the Eighth Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals