Animals are not capable of protecting their own rights. Therefore, there are national and international regulations in place to protect the welfare of laboratory animals. 

Definition of an animal procedure

When is a procedure considered an animal procedure, and when is a project licence required? An animal procedure must meet the following three criteria:

  1. It involves one of the following species:
    • vertebrates
    • cephalopods
    • self-feeding larvae
    • embryos in the final trimester of pregnancy
  2. It must serve one of the following purposes:
    • fundamental research
    • applied (translational) research into human or animal health and welfare
    • quality or safety of food or health products for humans or animals
    • protection of the natural environment in the interests of the health or welfare of human beings or animals
    • research aimed at preserving the experimental animal’s species
    • higher education
    • forensic research
  3. There is a risk of discomfort equal to or greater than that caused by the insertion of a needle.

If your procedure meets these criteria, you need a project licence. More information about Licences.

European directive

The European directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (2010/63/EU) was published in 2010. This directive recognises the intrinsic value of laboratory animals and sets out rules to protect these animals in Europe. 

Dutch law: the Animal Experiments Act

In the Netherlands, the following laws and regulations apply to animal procedures:

The Animal Experiments Act (Wet op de dierproeven (Wod)) has been in force since 1977. It complies with the European directive, which became national law in the Netherlands on 18 December 2014 as the revised Animal Experiments Act. In some respects, the Animal Experiments Act is stricter than the European directive. For example, there is a difference in the definition of an animal procedure. Whereas the rest of Europe does not consider killing an animal to use its organs as an animal procedure, the Netherlands does. 

The official text of the amendment to the Animal Experiments Act 2014 can be found can this page (website in Dutch). The Explanatory Memorandum (website in Dutch) explains how the Act was amended to comply with Directive 2010/63/EU.

Objectives of the Animal Experiments Act:

  • to improve the protection of animals used for scientific purposes
  • to restore equal competitive conditions for businesses and scientific research in the European Union
  • to implement the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) for the treatment and use of animals for scientific purposes

The Animal Experiments Act applies to the following situations:

  • animals used in or intended for procedures, including animals bred specifically so that their organs or tissues can be used for scientific or educational purposes
  • animals killed specifically for their organs or tissues
  • until the animals are either killed or adopted, or until they have been returned to their natural habitat or a suitable ‘husbandry system’
  • living non-human vertebrates and living cephalopods (octopuses and squids)
  • foetal forms of mammals from the last third of their development, as well as independently feeding larvae

More information

You can find more information about the European directive regarding animal procedures in scientific research and education on the European Commission’s website.