newsIn 2011 <strong>the</strong> university used: 10,612chickens, 1254 mice, 7558 fish,367 pigs, 215 rats, 185 cows, 14horses, 13 cat and 43 birds. Total:19810 animals used in educationand – above all – research. A recordnumber, <strong>the</strong> university’s averagebeing about 15,000 animals peryear.The reason for this peak in 2011was an increase in behaviouralresearch on chickens. According tolicense-holder Rob Buré, this cameabout partly as a result of <strong>the</strong> banon battery chickens. In 2011,<strong>Wageningen</strong> studied <strong>the</strong> behaviourof nearly 15,000 chickens,including <strong>the</strong> positive effect ofdust baths or pecking behaviourdirected at members of <strong>the</strong> samespecies. According to Buré, thissort of research causes <strong>the</strong> animalsmild distress. Blood is taken, forexample, to measure levels ofstress hormones, but no majoroperations are performed.<strong>Wageningen</strong> does a lot of animalresearch compared with o<strong>the</strong>rDutch universities. Only threeuniversities used more animals inexperiments: Utrecht, Groningenand Nijmegen. DLO institutessuch as CVI, Imares and Rikilt arenot included in <strong>the</strong>se statistics.But that is due to change. In 2008,a joint code of transparency aboutanimal experiments was signed by<strong>the</strong> universities, academichospitals and <strong>the</strong> Dutch academyof sciences. This will lead togreater transparency across<strong>Wageningen</strong> <strong>UR</strong> as well. NextMonday <strong>the</strong> executive board will bediscussing a report on animalexperiments and dilemmas inanimal research. This includesdata about <strong>the</strong> use of animals byDLO institutes. It is <strong>the</strong> first time<strong>the</strong> organization has made <strong>the</strong>sefigures public. Its own spokesperson, logo andpresentations. And no more Resource.The hiving off of Van HallLarenstein Applied Sciences Universityfrom <strong>Wageningen</strong> <strong>UR</strong> isstarting to take shape. At <strong>the</strong> endof 2012, <strong>the</strong> applied sciences universitygot its own supervisoryboard and executive board. Negotiationsare now <strong>going</strong> on aboutfur<strong>the</strong>r steps to undo <strong>the</strong> merger.As of <strong>the</strong> beginning of 2013, VHLstaff and students no longer receiveResource. VHL has plans forits own magazine, preferably tostart as soon as possible. Nor will<strong>the</strong>re be any more input from VHLfor <strong>the</strong> alumni magazine <strong>Wageningen</strong>World. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, <strong>the</strong> appliedsciences university will nowdo its own public relations and <strong>the</strong><strong>Wageningen</strong> <strong>UR</strong> logo will no longerbe on presentations and newbrochures. ‘Some ties are easy to break,’ sayshead of Communications Marc Lamers.‘O<strong>the</strong>rs take a little longer.’For example, people at Communicationsare still figuring out howVHL’s access to <strong>the</strong> intranet can becancelled. ‘These are technicalplatforms and adjusting <strong>the</strong>mtakes a bit more than a push of abutton.’In o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>the</strong> ending of <strong>the</strong>merger is more complicated. Talksare <strong>going</strong> on, for instance, aboutICT and o<strong>the</strong>r support services. Asto how <strong>the</strong>se negotiations are<strong>going</strong>, <strong>the</strong> university is keeping itsmouth firmly shut. The only thingLamers will say is that <strong>the</strong>y are conductedin a very friendly spirit. ‘It isnot a question of pulling <strong>the</strong> plugout, and “goodbye and thank you”.We are looking toge<strong>the</strong>r for <strong>the</strong> mostsensible way of organizing it.’ RESO<strong>UR</strong>CE — 31 January 2013
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