Where Animal Research and Animal Welfare Connect by Andrea Farrell, SALDF President
In early April, Bill Stangle, Senior Research Specialist of Arlington Agricultural Research Station, personally guided SALDF on a tour of the 2,037 acre research station. Arlington, located about 20 miles north of Madison, holds cropland, greenhouses, and livestock laboratories and housing. Through close working relationships, Arlington provides support and coordination to the smaller groups which make up the main research station system of UW.
These smaller groups include dairy scientists strategizing nutritional programs that will prevent fatty liver and ketosis; animal scientists conducting nutritional, physiological, and genetic studies on beef cattle, swine, and sheep; poultry scientists exploring biotechnology; veterinary scientists studying animal health and reproduction; as well as plant scientists; plant pathologists; soil scientists; and entomologists.
The animal facilities at Arlington fall under the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Animal Care and Use Committee oversight. In early 2007, it earned full accreditation from the non-profit organization, Association for Assessment and Accreditation of of Laboratory Animal Care International.
That organization promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs.
"The organization works to guide agricultural and biomedical animal research programs to accreditation, despite their name referencing laboratory animals. Overall, by choosing to become an accredited animal care program, the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences has worked to assure both animal and human welfare in research labs and in agricultural settings, incorporating best management and veterinary practices and continually addressing animal and human safety, personnel training, and supportive physical plant needs."
Gail Stirr, Research Compliance Specialist, CALS Research Division.
Arlington has an open door policy and encourages visitors.
If you are interested in taking your own tour, or have questions for the farmers and researchers, the Arlington Agricultural Research Station can be contacted at N695 Hopkins Rd., Arlington, WI 53911 or (608) 846-3761. For more information about the accreditation process, visit http://www.aaalac.org/. For more information regarding animal care programs at UW-Madison, visit http://www.rarc.wisc.edu/.