Animals (Control of Experiments) Act (Cap. 71:03)

L.R.O. 1/2012 LAWS OF GUYANA ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT CHAPTER 71:03 Act 32 of 1957 Amended by 20 of 1959 6 of 1997 1 – 8 ... 1/2012 (inclusive) by L.R.O. Pages Authorised Current Authorised Pages LAWS OF GUYANA 2 Cap. 71:03 Animals (Control of Experiments) L.R.O. 1/2012 Note on Subsidiary Legislation This Chapter contains no subsidiary legislation. LAWS OF GUYANA Animals (Control of Experiments) Cap. 71:03 3 L.R.O. 1/2012 CHAPTER 71:03 ANIMALS (CONTROL OF EXPERIMENTS) ACT ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS SECTION 1. Short title. 2. Interpretation. 3. Experiments only to be performed by licensed persons. 4. Experiments not to be performed for purposes of attaining manual skill. 5. Prohibition of performance of experiments for illustration of lectures subject to certain conditions. 6. Restrictions upon performances of experiments by licensee. 7. Grant of licence. 8. Permits. 9. Special permits. 10. Records and inspections. 11. Returns. 12. Inspection of specified places. 13. Regulations. 14. Revocation of licence or permit. 15. Penalty. 16. Restriction on prosecution of licensee. 32 of 1957 An Act to regulate the practice of experiments on living animals, and matters in connection therewith. [13TH JULY, 1957] Short title. Interpretation. 1. This Act may be cited as the Animals (Control of Experiments) Act. 2. In this Act— LAWS OF GUYANA 4 Cap. 71:03 Animals (Control of Experiments) L.R.O. 1/2012 [20 of 1959] Experiments only to be performed by licensed persons. Experiments not to be performed for purposes of attaining manual skill. Prohibition of performance of experiments for illustration of lectures subject to certain conditions. Restrictions upon performances of experiments by licensee. “animal” means a living vertebrate animal; “experiment” means any experiment calculated to give pain performed on any animal which interferes with the normal health or comfort of that animal, but does not include any test carried out on an animal by a qualified person as an aid to the veterinary diagnosis of the condition of that animal; “licensee” means a person licensed under section 7 of this Act. 3. (1) No person except a licensee shall perform any experiment. (2) No licensee shall perform any experiment except in accordance with the terms of his licence and subject to the restrictions imposed by this Act. 4. No licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of attaining manual skill. 5. No licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of illustrating any lecture at any university, university college, hospital, medical school, agricultural college, farm school or any other academic institution unless he is the holder of a teaching permit under this Act, and unless the experiment is of a class specified in such permit and is performed in accordance with the terms of such permit. 6. (1) Except as otherwise provided in section 5, no licensee shall perform any experiment except— (a) for the purpose of the advancement of new discovery of physiological LAWS OF GUYANA Animals (Control of Experiments) Cap. 71:03 5 L.R.O. 1/2012 knowledge, or of any knowledge which will be useful for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for combating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants; (b) for the purpose of testing any former discovery alleged to have been made for the advancement of the types of knowledge referred to in paragraph (a); (c) by the order in writing of any Judge of the High Court in any case where such Judge is satisfied that it is essential for the purpose of justice in a criminal case to make such experiment. (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3), no licensee shall perform any experiment unless— (a) throughout the whole of the experiment the animal is under the influence of some anaesthetic of sufficient power to prevent the animal feeling pain; and (b) if the pain is likely to continue after the effect of the anaesthetic has ceased, or if any serious injury has been inflicted on the animal, the animal is killed before it recovers from the influence of the anaesthetic which has been administered. LAWS OF GUYANA 6 Cap. 71:03 Animals (Control of Experiments) L.R.O. 1/2012 Grant of licence. Permits. [20 of 1959] Special permits. (3) Subsection (2) shall not apply to any licensee who is the holder of a special permit granted under section 9 in relation to any experiment specified in such special permit. 7. (1) The Minister may grant a licence to any person to perform any experiment for any purpose specified in such licence during such period and subject to such conditions in addition to the conditions specified in this Act as he may think fit. (2) It shall be a condition of any licence granted under subsection (1), that any experiment performed pursuant to such licence shall be performed at such place as may be specified in such licence. 8. (1) Where the Chief Medical Officer is satisfied that it is absolutely necessary for the due instruction of persons attending any course of lectures for the purpose of acquiring physiological knowledge or any knowledge which will be used for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for combating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants, for any such lecture to be illustrated by the performance of any experiment, the Chief Medical Officer may grant to a licensee under this Act a teaching permit to perform any experiment specified in such licence for the purpose of illustrating such lecture. (2) Every teaching permit under this section shall be subject to such conditions in addition to any conditions specified in this Act as may be specified in such permit, and such permit shall remain in force for such period as may be stated therein. 9. (1) Where the Chief Medical Officer is satisfied that the object of any experiment permitted to be performed by a licensee under this Act would necessarily be frustrated— (a) by the performance of such LAWS OF GUYANA Animals (Control of Experiments) Cap. 71:03 7 L.R.O. 1/2012 Records and inspections. Returns. experiment under any anaesthetic; or (b) by killing the animal on which such experiment is performed before it recovers from the influence of any anaesthetic, he may grant a special permit authorising the licensee to perform such experiment without administering any anaesthetic to the animal or without killing the animal before it recovers from the influence of such anaesthetic as the case may be. (2) Any special permit under this section shall specify the period for which it shall remain in force. 10. (1) Every licensee under this Act shall keep, in such form as may be prescribed, records of all experiments performed by him. (2) Every licensee under this Act shall permit any person authorised in writing by the Chief Medical Officer to inspect any records kept by him at any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day other than a Sunday or public holiday. (3) Every licensee under this Act shall permit any person authorised in writing as aforesaid to enter and inspect, for the purpose of securing compliance with this Act, any place specified in such licensee’s licence for the performance of experiments. 11. Every licensee shall render to the Chief Medical Officer in such form and at such time as may be prescribed such returns as may be required in relation to any experiments performed by him. 12. (1) The Chief Medical Officer shall cause all places specified in licences and permits granted under this Act to be places. specified Inspection of LAWS OF GUYANA 8 Cap. 71:03 Animals (Control of Experiments) L.R.O. 1/2012 [20 of 1959] Regulations. Revocation of licence or permit. Penalty. [6 of 1997] Restriction on prosecution of licensee. visited from time to time by inspectors for the purpose of securing compliance with this Act. (2) Inspectors may be appointed for the purposes of this Act and the Minister may assign the duties of inspectors for those purposes to such public officers as he may think fit, either permanently or temporarily. 13. (1) The Minister may make regulations generally for the better carrying out of the provisions of this Act. (2) Regulations made under this section may without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by subsection (1) provide for the keeping of records of all experiments performed by any licensee under this Act and for the rendering of returns in relation to any experiments performed under this Act. 14. It shall be a condition of every licence or permit granted under this Act that such licence or permit may be revoked at any time by the person granting it on his being satisfied that such licence or permit ought to be revoked. 15. Every person who acts in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or of any condition of any licence or permit granted under this Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of twenty-six thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months. 16. A prosecution under this Act against a licensee shall not be instituted except by or with the consent of the Attorney-General.