Legislation and regulation of animal testing

There are strict laws and regulations regarding animal testing. In the European Union, the use of animals for scientific research is only permitted if there is no other option. Moreover, there is a European directive with rules to protect laboratory animals in Europe, which all member states of the European Union must incorporate into their national laws and regulations. In the Netherlands, this is the Animal Testing Act (Wod, 2014); the Animal Testing Resolution; and the Animal Testing Regulation. 

Only institutions with a license are allowed to conduct animal testing. In the Netherlands, these are primarily universities and other research centres. Maastricht University (UM) complies with the Animal Testing Act and follows the Code of Conduct of the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), as well as the Code of Transparency in Animal Testing (COD). This code has been drawn up to give concrete guidelines for addressing the widely held view in society that transparency regarding animal testing is desirable and necessary.