Animal Care Policy & Procedures from NMSU Policy Manual Ch. 5, Section 5.94.13
The Board of Regents support the use of animals in research, education, and as agricultural resources, providing that the usage is reasonably expected to advance knowledge about human or animal welfare. It is the policy of the Board to meet or exceed all federal and state standards and regulations applicable to animal use. It is both a unique characteristic of human beings and the mission of universities to seek knowledge and understanding of all disciplines, including the biology and behavior of man and other species. An important part of the mission of a land-grant university is to conduct appropriate research to optimize the use of animals in the service of man, and to advance human and animal welfare and basic research. It is clear that for the foreseeable future, human civilization will continue to require animals for food and fiber, for education, and for biomedical research. Alternatives to the use of living animals in research often exist, and these are widely employed at the university. However, the complexity of living organisms prohibits the substitution of alternative systems for many critical problems (e.g., animal research during the early eighties at the university led to the first vaccine for serum hepatitis). Other animal research has supported the development of synthetic growth hormone to treat stunted growth in children and has led to the approval of the current drug of choice for treating heart attacks.
All use of vertebrate animals must be reviewed and approved in advance by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to ensure the necessity of animal use and high standards of humane treatment. Animal research must be conducted by adequately trained persons using all necessary measures to prevent or minimize distress to an animal. The university defends the right of free speech, and genuine concerns regarding the use of animals by the institution should be addressed to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. However, coercion, intimidation, and unlawful acts will not be allowed on university property and will not influence university policy.