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NZ — 2010 National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC) Annual Report Released

September 30, 2011 Comments off

2010 National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC) Annual Report Released
Source: Biosecurity New Zealand (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)

Notification of the numbers of animals used in research, testing and teaching were released today in the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC) Annual Report.

A total of 242 149 animals were reported in 2010, a decrease of 18.5% compared to the previous year and the lowest number reported since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act 1999. However, NAEAC Chairperson Dr Virginia Williams says that the rolling three year average is a truer reflection of animal use because of the way animal statistics are reported. This average is down 0.5% from 2009 and 2.9% from 2008.

The principal purposes of use were for husbandry and veterinary research; basic biological research; and testing the safety and efficiency of animal health products. The animals most commonly used were rodents, farm animals, and fish.

“A drop in the number of animals experiencing high or very high impact manipulations – down just over 19% – is always gratifying” says Dr Williams. “As a Committee, we are committed to the Three Rs – the reduction, refinement and replacement of the use of animals in life sciences. A significant aspect of our activity throughout the year involved supporting efforts to have the Three Rs embodied into practices that use animals.”

+ Full Report (PDF)

Categories: Biosecurity New Zealand, New Zealand, science, veterinary medicine and animal welfare

Final Words: Death and Cremation certification in New Zealand

May 26, 2011 Comments off

Final Words: Death and Cremation certification in New Zealand (PDF)
Source: Law Commission of New Zealand

Death and cremation certification is a notoriously difficult area in which to reach consensus, in part because the system serves a number of sometimes conflicting policy objectives. Those dealing with death as investigators, pathologists, coroners, doctors, health workers, care-givers or funeral directors are often working in highly charged situations. The knock-on effects of even quite minor changes within the systems and processes regulating death have the potential to cause major disruptions.

As a law reform body the Commission is charged with reviewing laws with a view to ensuring they are fit for purpose in the context of contemporary New Zealand.

This discussion paper is intended to provide a preliminary assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the current death and cremation certification systems. ultimately, however, the details of any changes to certificates and the certification processes will need the expert input of doctors, coroners and health epidemiologists.

Chapter 4 of this report contains questions relating to some preliminary options for reform. We welcome submissions on these options and would also be happy to meet to discuss these issues with stakeholder groups.

Hat tip: Library Boy

Categories: death, Law Commission of New Zealand, legal and law enforcement, New Zealand

Crime Victimisation Patterns in New Zealand: New Zealand General Social Survey 2008 and New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey 2006 Compared

March 22, 2011 Comments off

Crime Victimisation Patterns in New Zealand: New Zealand General Social Survey 2008 and New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey 2006 Compared (PDF)
Source: Statistics New Zealand

Crime Victimisation Patterns in New Zealand compares victimisation statistics produced from the New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey 2006 (NZCASS) and the New Zealand General Social Survey 2008 (GSS) to see if the socio-demographic characteristics of victims in the surveys are similar. The report looks at victimisation prevalence and repeat victimisation in relation to the total population, and to certain population groups, such as age, sex, ethnicity, household tenure, and the New Zealand index of deprivation 2001 groups.

The comparison this research report provides is very topical, given the GSS is a new survey that was released by Statistics New Zealand for the first time in October 2009. Users of crime victimisation data will see how the GSS module on safety and security compares with New Zealand’s primary victimisation survey, the NZCASS.

The GSS is a multi-topic survey of individual well-being, and provides data on important social and economic outcomes. It is a two-yearly gauge for how well society is doing. The GSS allows the interrelationships between crime victimisation and other areas of society (such as knowledge and skills, paid work, economic standard of living, physical environment, and social connectedness) to be looked at.

The NZCASS is designed to collect crime and safety information from individuals in selected households. This enables investigation across crime topics, populations, and time.

Categories: crime, New Zealand, psychology and sociology, Statistics New Zealand
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