Updated Guidance on the practice of animal dissection in standard school science experiments

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1 EA Circular Number: A Date: 27 th April 2018 To all EA Post Primary School Science Departments Updated Guidance on the practice of animal dissection in standard school science experiments Background: Due to the strong evidence of a link between a condition known as variant Creutzfeldt - Jacob disease (vcjd) and classical BSE, the UK government made BSE a notifiable disease in Exposure to BSE through the consumption of infected or contaminated meat is believed to be the primary cause of vcjd in humans. The pathogen which causes BSE is most commonly found in specific tissues of infected cattle. These include the skull, spinal cord, tonsils, vertebral column, mesentery, caecum and small intestine and are referred to as Specified Risk Materials (SRM). Controls were in place to remove this material from cattle following slaughter and before entering the human food chain. Following veterinary risk assessments, in Northern Ireland, this list of tissues has been reduced to the skull, including the brain and eyes. And the spinal cord of animals aged over 12 months. The SRM Regulations (NI) 1997 are no longer in force. Use of SRM is now controlled by the Animal By-Products Enforcement Regulations (Northern Ireland) The term SRM is however still used. The eyes from sheep and goats are classed as SRM if the animal was slaughtered when it was over 12 months old. Similarly, eyes from cattle are SRM if the animals were slaughtered above the age of 12 months. The eyes from pigs, llamas, ostriches, deer and horses are not classed as SRM. 1. It is still not permitted for specified risk materials (SRM) to be used for educational purposes in schools and this includes bovine eyes from animals over 12 months. It is, however, permitted to use eyes from cattle and sheep under 12 months and from other species such as pigs for educational purposes. 2. It is an EU requirement to ensure that persons using animal by-products are either registered or approved, this is enforced by The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Anyone who wishes to acquire animal by-products for diagnostic, educational or research purposes from a meat plant need to be registered or authorised to do so. The meat plant may require you to produce a letter of registration or authorisation. 3. Any school wishing to use any animal by-product for educational purposes would need to complete a DAERA form and return it to the address stated within. This form ABPR 7 (Education/School) Registration Application is available at: The current version of this form is also attached to the end of this Circular. DAERA will deal with all requests for registration. This is a free, one-off registration process.

2 4. When approved DAERA will issue a letter confirming that they have registered your school in accordance with the ABP Regulations. Any future changes to the ownership, address or operation of a registered premises must be notified to DAERA Veterinary Service. 5. DAERA want to make sure that Cat 1 materials are not used, however schools have made requests for the use of bovine eyes in the past. Although eyes from bovines aged under 12 months are not SRM they are rarely available, as few plants slaughter cattle that young. 6. The member of school staff hoping to obtain the material would need to contact the abattoir/butcher in question to see if collection can be facilitated. They must advise the abattoir that they are registered with DAERA. 7. Dissection guidance on the CLEAPSS website has been updated to include the above advice for Northern Ireland schools. Please also see PS002 The dissection of eyes; G267 Dissection, a starter guide to health and safety; G268 Dissection, a guide to safe practice; SSS072 - Animals (dead) and animal parts; TL016 Effective heart dissection and GL205 Dissection a legal overview. 8. As always please refer to the CLEAPSS website rather than a saved document to ensure you have the latest version of each document. Any major changes are also highlighted in the termly CLEAPSS Bulletin which will now be posted directly from CLEAPSS into each school. Please ensure you receive these Bulletins into your Science Department and read. DAERA Helpline: Daera.Helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk EA School Development Service. End.

3 Notification of registration for the transportation, handling, storage, use or disposal of animal by-products (ABPs) or derived products under the requirements of Article 23 of Regulation (EC) No. 1069/ School name 2 Contact name 3. Correspondence Address and contact details Postcode Landline telephone number (inc. STD code) Fax number Mobile telephone number address 4. Please use the list below to indicate (tick) all the category(ies) of ABPs or derived products to be used in the school: (for information on categories of ABPs please see the guidance on our website) Category 3 Material from animals slaughtered fit for human consumption Bodies of rodents, lagomorphs or birds for feeding to pets, zoo or circus animals Other Category 3 material Please describe 5. Please use the list below to indicate (tick) which animal by products or derived products will be used. Abbreviation Product Types Tick For official use BHHP CAD FORMF OTHER Bones, horns, hooves & products thereof Whole bodies of dead animals (cadavers) Products of animal origin/no longer for human consumption Other products (Please specify which body parts and which species here) 6. Specified Risk Material (SRM) cannot be used for educational purposes in schools. The pathogen which causes BSE is most commonly found in specific tissues of infected cattle. Controls are in place to remove this material from cattle following slaughter and before entering the human food chain.

4 In Northern Ireland the list of SRM is: the skull including the brain and eyes and the spinal cord of animals aged over 12 months. It is, however, permitted to use eyes from cattle and sheep under 12 months. The eyes from pigs, llamas, ostriches, deer and horses are not classed as SRM and can be used for educational purposes. Signature Name in BLOCK LETTERS Date Completed and signed forms should be submitted to DAERA Veterinary Service, ABP Section, Ballykelly House, 111 Ballykelly Road, Drummond, Ballykelly, BT49 9HP You can a scanned copy of the completed and signed form to applications.aiabp@daera-ni.gov.uk but are advised that conventional is unencrypted and therefore sensitive information should not be transferred.

5 Guidance notes on the need to complete this form Registration of the following operations is not required: Establishments previously approved or authorised under Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 do not require further approval or registration Establishments already approved or registered under Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 or Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 do not require further registration What happens next: 1. A letter will be issued to you conforming we have registered you in accordance with the ABP Regulations. 2. Information relating to your operation will have been or may be included in the published list of Animal By- Products Registered premises and made available to your Local Authority and Environment Agency. 3. Changes to the ownership, address or operation of a registered premises must be notified to DAERA Veterinary Service using the contact details above. ABP Category 1/2/3 Registration valid from: xx/xx/xxxx Signature of officer issuing ABP Registration: For Official use ABP Registration reference: Issuing Office Address: Name (BLOCK LETTERS) of officer issuing ABP Registration: Telephone: Fax: Data Protection Act Details of the name, address and type of the business and its registration number may be made publicly available. This is to enable those in possession of animal by-products to identify legitimate outlets and to enable us to meet EU obligations to provide details of registered premises to the European Commission and other member States. The above details may also be used by DAERA, DEFRA, Scottish Government, Welsh Governement respectively and shared with each other and with public bodies for the purposes of the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) Regulations (NI) 2015 and related issues, and for consultation on issues of relevance to your business. All of the details on the application form may be made available to the District Councils and other public bodies for enforcement and policy purposes.