WG4 Communicating

Objectives: The need and impact for ABM and laboratory animal training may be obvious to the lab
animal trainers, nevertheless, they often need to argue the purpose and usefulness of ABM and
training with peers or other members of the staff. On the other side authorities granting licenses for
experiments need to understand how experimental animals are handled. And last but not least,
animal staff often are confronted by outsiders with questions concerning their work. In this Working
Group communication strategies will be elaborated to address different target audiences such as lab
animal staff that may get confronted with. In cooperation with the Workgroup “Providing (Scientific
Evidence)” findings and facts will be identified from the literature, which are helpful in building a line
of argument for ABM/lab animal training in the discussions with different target audiences. To further
relate the literature findings to the actual work in the laboratory, this WG will determine the status
quo in terms of ABM/lab animal training in European NHP facilities. Based on the result, a minimum
standard for ABM/lab animal training that includes recommendations beyond the requirements of
Directive 2010/ 63/EC will be defined.

Tasks: Analysing the different situations at the European primate centres to develop
recommendations regarding a minimum European standard on NHP training; elaborating arguments
useful in the debate on ABM/NHP training with an institution and need of primate experimentation in
the debate with authorities and/or society.

Milestones: Upgrade NHP/lab animal staff in the debate on the need for ABM/training within their
institutions or the need for NHP/lab animal experimentation with authorities and/or society;
recommendations regarding a minimum European standard on NHP/lab animal training

Deliverables: Annual WG Meetings; Workshop: Communication strategies for different target
audiences; Workshop: Arguments pro ABM/lab animal training/animal welfare/animal research;
white paper: Recommendations regarding a minimum European standard on NHP/lab animal
training