Specialised Department of Animal Welfare Service

The Specialised Department of Animal Welfare Service advises and supports the veterinary public authorities of the State of Lower Saxony in implementing animal welfare regulations. The consultancy service includes the entire range of official veterinary services from agricultural livestock husbandry to domestic animals right up to zoo and circus animals as well as animal transport and slaughtering. Tasks include:

• advising veterinary authorities on questions of animal welfare, in particular regarding problematic animal husbandry (over the phone, by means of statements and/or “on-site consultancy”)
• creating guidelines on animal husbandry
• dealing with special problems in animal husbandry (among others carrying out pilot projects and field studies)
• preparing proposals for funding programmes on species-appropriate husbandry systems in farming
• compiling expert reports used in court on animal welfare issues
• expert opinions on legislative proposals
• cooperating in working groups on a state and national level (in agreement with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Regional Development)
• organising and carrying out training events, among others the Lower Saxony Animal Welfare Symposium bianually
• cooperating with animal welfare organisations including compiling literature
• processing enquiries and suggestions from the public (in agreement with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Regional Development)
• participating at animal welfare advisory council meetings in an advisory capacity
• public relations work (by means of lectures and publications)
• collecting and supplying specialist literature and information material on animal welfare issues
• managing a data bank on animal welfare court decisions
• setting up a photo archive on animal husbandry

Since 2005 the Animal Welfare Service has also been responsible for matters related to animal experiments besides its consultancy work. These include the following tasks:

• processing animal experiments which are subject to approval
• processing notifiable animal experiments and intentions
• managing the advisory Ethics Commission according to § 15 paragraph 1 of the Animal Welfare Act including appointing new members to the Commission
• accepting application of appointment of Animal Welfare Officers according to § 8 b of the Animal Welfare Act
• processing certificates of exemption according to § 9 paragraph 1 sentence 4 of the Animal Welfare Act
• processing import authorisations in accordance with § 11 a paragraph 4 of the Animal Welfare Act
• inspecting protocols of animal experiments in accordance with § 9 paragraph 5 of the Animal Welfare Act
• compiling legally stipulated reports on animal experiments

The Animal Welfare Service is approved as an institution for advanced study as veterinarian specialist in animal welfare. Since the beginning of 2003, it has also undertaken duties as the animal welfare authority for Lower Saxony.

Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety
Dep. 33 - Animal Welfare Service
PO Box 9262
D-26140 Oldenburg

Phone: +49 441 570 26-131
Fax: +49 441 570 26-178
Dezernat33@laves.niedersachsen.de

Here are the directions to the specialised Department Animal Welfare Service.