Animal Welfare is about treating animals humanely and not subjecting them to unnecessary suffering. The animal welfare position assumes that we can legitimately treat animals as a means to human ends. The Animal Rights position is based upon the belief that some non-humans possess rights similar to some humans. It seeks to assure that relevant animal interests are protected and precludes the use of animals as a means to human ends.

NABR is committed to Animal Welfare.  We support the judicious, humane use of animals in biomedical research, higher education and product safety testing. In support of this commitment NABR advocates for the development and implementation of public policy based upon sound scientific information and/or current standards of practice as defined by experts in the fields of laboratory animal science and medicine. To this end NABR relies upon the input of its members and experts in the fields of laboratory animal science and medicine in developing its policy positions and public statements.

Animal rights is the idea that non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as human beings. Animal rights activists argue that animals should not be regarded as property, or treated as resources for human purposes, but should instead be regarded as legal entities.

Critics of the concept of animal rights argue that animals do not have the capacity to enter into legal contracts or make moral choices, and therefore cannot be regarded as possessors of moral rights.  Humans have duties, obligations and responsibilities to animals, but animals themselves do not possess rights.  Critics holding this position argue that there is nothing inherently wrong with using animals for food, as entertainment, and in research, though human beings have an obligation to ensure they do not suffer unnecessarily.This position is generally called the animal welfare position, and it is held by some of the oldest of the animal protection agencies.