Information on animal procedures

Why animal procedures?

We still need to use animals for research purposes, for example to develop new medicines and food products. In fact, new medicines can only be approved for sale once they have been tested on living animals. 

What is an animal procedure?

An experiment is considered an animal procedure if an animal is used for a specific research purpose and experiences pain during the procedure. Animal researchers also use the terms ‘suffering’, ‘severity’ or ‘discomfort’ to describe this experience. You can find all the relevant information and legislation on the page Laws and regulations. This page also explains in which situations procedures fall under the Experiments on Animals Act and which research purposes require a licence. 

Who conducts animal procedures?

Organisations – referred to as establishment licence holders – such as universities, university medical centres, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies conduct animal procedures. 

The 3Rs: when are you allowed to conduct an animal procedure?

Animal procedures are only permitted if there is no alternative method. If research using animals is conducted, it means there is currently no other way to answer a scientific question. The experiment must be conducted in the most refined manner, with as few animals as possible. The principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) must be adhered to:

• Replacement of animal procedures
  Animal procedures are replaced with alternative methods as much as possible. For example, by studying human cells or tissues, or by using computer simulations that mimic biological processes in the human body.

• Reduction of animal procedures
  Each procedure must involve as few animals as possible. For example, by using data from previous studies. 
• Refinement of animal procedures
  Researchers keep the animals’ discomfort to an absolute minimum during the experiment, for example by providing proper housing, nutrition and pain management.

Conducting animal procedures 

A project licence is required for any research involving animal procedures. The Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD) is the sole competent authority in the Netherlands authorised to issue licences for conducting these animal procedures. The CCD applies the ‘no unless’ principle, meaning that if there is absolutely no way for an establishment licence holder to conduct its research without using animals, the CCD conducts a harm-benefit analysis. The CCD will only issue a licence if the benefit and the necessity of the research outweigh the discomfort experienced by the animal. 

Establishment licence holders that conduct animal procedures must also hold an establishment licence from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). Without this licence, the establishment licence holder is not permitted to conduct animal procedures, breed and/or supply laboratory animals. More information about the application process.

Monitoring animal procedures

Animal procedures must be conducted with great care. Therefore, several different organisations monitor these procedures:

• the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)
• Animal Welfare Bodies (AWBs)

The Organisations page provides an overview of these organisations and their roles.

Data on animal procedures

The NVWA publishes an annual overview of the number of conducted animal procedures. This overview also includes information on the purposes of the animal procedure and the animal species involved. Read the NVWA’s annual report (website in Dutch).

More information

More information on animal procedures is also provided on Rijksoverheid.nl (website in Dutch).