Statement on use of animals in research and teaching

As a specialist land-based university, Lincoln remains committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in all our research and teaching involving the use of animals, including a moral obligation of openness and transparency in their use.

In 2021, the University signed the Openness Agreement on Animal Research and Teaching in New Zealand, committing to making animal research information available through our website, communications and public engagement activities. The agreement was initiated and led by the Australia and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART), and the University is one of 21 organisations from around New Zealand to have signed the agreement.

The privilege of using animals is a key feature in our teaching and research programmes, and the University maintains its own Animal Ethics Committee in addition to animal welfare and ethics being key topics in undergraduate teaching.  While many of our research programmes utilise animals, they all adhere to the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) in research and teaching.    

As New Zealand’s only specialist land-based university, Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University has a unique animal use profile in comparison to other New Zealand universities meaning that our animal manipulations cater mainly for a dynamic and constantly changing primary industry and public need. 

Lincoln’s specific programmes using livestock focus mainly on improving animal production, health and welfare, and mitigating environmental impacts of livestock farming, while others have used sheep as a model to develop solutions for human diseases.  Enhancing New Zealand’s natural ecology is also a key component of work at Lincoln that includes the eradication or control of unwanted pests to protect our native flora and fauna. 

Details of the use of animals over the years for research and teaching at Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University can be found below.

The University places good welfare at the centre of all its animal activities, whether they be teaching, research or on our farms, and aims to meet the highest standards.

Good animal welfare and good science go hand-in-hand.