Terms of business

The core facility does not compensate users who suffer any losses in connection with the use of the facilities and services.

The core facility is in no case responsible for operating losses, loss of profits, lost earnings or other indirect losses.

The core facility buys pigs from ordinary farms. The pigs can contain a number of pathogens that may cause clinical disease, for example diarrhoea, pneumonia or arthritis. Miniature pigs raised under barrier conditions are an alternative option. They have a higher health status than agricultural pigs upon arrival at ACF. However, miniature pigs can experience problems at ACF with infection from agricultural pigs. We therefore offer housing in a separate pig stable for miniature pigs. However, we cannot guarantee against infection.

ACF checks animals on arrival from the vendor and takes action if clinical problems are noted at this time. This may involve requesting a new pig. The researcher does not pay extra if the pig is exchanged. However, ACF does not compensate users for the occurrence of disease which was not present at the time of arrival.

Ordering of the ACF's goods and services must always be done in writing by using the core facility's requisition forms.

Invoices are sent to users monthly in arrears for housed animals. The invoices are calculated on a weekly basis and not always in whole months.

Ordered animals, goods and services are invoiced once a month. The time of invoice for these services depends on the receipt of the purchase invoice from the supplier. Account statements are not provided on a regular basis, but can be obtained from the ACF's administration.

Payment is required within 30 days of the date of the invoice. If the payment deadline is exceeded, 2 requests for payment will be issued. For each request, a fee of DKK 150 will be added.

If the outstanding amount is not paid after the 2 requests for payment, a written demand for immediate payment will be sent. In this connection, an administration fee of DKK 475 will be added. For internal customers, the outstanding amount will be presented to the user’s Head of Department. In addition, the possibility of ordering of animals/goods and services ceases without further notice. The outstanding amount from internal customers will be recovered via the Faculty. The outstanding amount from external customers will be recovered through debt collection. If the payment of the outstanding amount has yet to be paid after 10 days from the written demand for immediate payment/written letter on debt collection, a written notice on housed animals being put to sleep will be sent.

The core facility makes an effort to deliver animals and services of the desired quality and timeliness. However, the Department is not responsible for missing or delayed deliveries.

The core facility only breeds animals of special strains and is therefore dependent on external suppliers for common types of experimental animals. Our staff endeavours to have as clear and continuous communication with suppliers as possible, but the core facility cannot guarantee, or be held responsible for, the accuracy, quality and stability of deliveries.

Upon delivery of live animals, all shipping fees (including health certificates and any handling fees) are invoiced to the person making the request. For the import and export of animals, an administrative fee is also charged – see current price list.

For the larger, commercial breeders (eg Charles River and Taconic), we refer to their business terms. Please note that certain animal species are delivered by small suppliers without standardized terms of business. Delivery of some animal species is also seasonal; these animals should therefore be ordered in good time.

The core facility conducts continuous health monitoring in the SPF units, Biocenter, 16.4, MGU and 10.3, in accordance with FELASA guidelines. All testing is performed by an external accredited laboratory.

To maintain the health status of the animals, activity and movement within the animal units are subject to specific restrictions, including limitations on the import of animals, materials and equipment.

The Department is not responsible for any breach of these requirements and cannot be held liable for damages resulting from infections. For further details, please refer to the General Conditions.

Animal care is undertaken according to standard regulations and in accordance with applicable legislation. Animals are fed daily by animal caretakers. The core facility's veterinarians are responsible for ensuring the health and well-being of the experimental animals, and in this capacity they provide advice to the researchers. The veterinarians are also obliged to ensure compliance with current legislation on animal welfare and animal experimental conditions. Supervision is conducted in accordance with the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences’ policy in this area, which also includes guidelines for the researcher’s duty to inform the core facility about planned experimental activities.

The core facility's staff provides a range of services to assist with animal experiments. The core facility does not provide financial compensation for any errors made in connection with these services.

Effective, timely communication between researchers and ACF staff is essential to ensure high‑quality service and the welfare of experimental animals. As an ACF customer and the person responsible for animals housed at the Department, you must ensure that ACF holds accurate, up‑to‑date contact information (including the name and contact details of the responsible researcher).

Non‑critical matters (e.g., routine/administrative enquiries):
ACF expects responses to enquiries from ACF within 7 days. If you are unavailable due to illness, holiday, or other absence, you must provide an alternative contact person. Where no response is received within 7 days, ACF may suspend services without further notice—including pausing breeding, discontinuing data collection, and halting sample collection. If enquiries continue to go unanswered, ACF will issue a written 7-day notice (with a copy to the faculty). Thereafter, ACF may take additional steps to stop the activity in question without further notice.

Ongoing experiments
Throughout the duration of any experiment, the responsible researcher must be reachable as needed to address questions or situations that may arise, including during weekends and public holidays. This ensures that any animal-related matters can be addressed in a timely manner and without unnecessary delay.

In cases where ACF is required to provide additional administrative assistance for customers (e.g. accountancy assistance), an administrative fee is charged based on the time involved and the hourly rate of the employee. Similarly, other advisory and animal technical assistance is invoiced in cases where the assistance goes beyond the service included in the housing price. In such cases, a written estimate is always submitted to the customer indicating the current price before the assistance commences.

Any complaints about the quality of service provided by ACF should be addressed to the core facility. A written response will be prepared within 30 days of receiving the complaint.