Procedure

A license is required for each study involving animal testing. Every research application must include an ethical assessment to weigh the potential burden on animals against the expected research results. Multiple parties are involved to ensure careful consideration. 

Researchers must submit a proposal explaining why alternative methods cannot be used and how animal distress is minimised. The Animal Welfare Body (IvD) assists with the application, which is then reviewed by the Animal Ethics Committee (DEC) for ethical and scientific aspects. The DEC advises the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), which grants or rejects the license. Approved experiments are monitored by the IvD to ensure compliance with approved procedures. 

A license is required for each individual study. In addition to a scientific assessment, every research application must include an ethical assessment which examines whether the potential burden on the animals outweighs the expected results of the research. Multiple parties are involved in the process of applying for this license, so that all considerations are weighed carefully. 

For each study involving animal testing, a research proposal that must meet a number of conditions is required to be submitted by the researcher(s). The researcher must explain why the research cannot be conducted using an alternative method (replacement) or fewer animals (reduction), as well as how the distress of the animals is minimized (refinement). 

The Animal Welfare Body (IvD) helps the researcher with the license application. This application is submitted to the Animal Ethics Committee (DEC). The DEC assesses the application for ethical and scientific aspects and provides advice to the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD): the governmental organisation that has exclusive authorisation to grant licenses for animal testing in the Netherlands. The CCD then grants the license or rejects the application. After approval of the test application, the experiments are supervised and monitored by the IvD to ensure compliance with the approved procedures and specifications. 

A non-technical summary (NTS) must accompany every license application for a study that involves animal testing. This contains the objectives of the study, a substantiation of the use of animals, and the expected negative consequences for the welfare of the animals, including the application of the 3 Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement). The NTS must be written in layman's terms so that it can be read by a wide audience. The Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD) publishes this summary without attributing the name(s) of the applicant(s). This way, the use of animal testing in the Netherlands is made transparent without violating intellectual property rights or privacy.