Slow decline

Animal-free research methods are beginning to be accepted and applied across the Netherlands

For some decades now, successive governments in the Netherlands have been supporting research into alternatives to animal testing in order to help reduce the number of animal experiments. But this is going slowly—too slowly for many.

In 1985, 1.45 million animal tests were carried out in the Netherlands. That number has dropped by two-thirds to about 400,000 per year. Parliament is exerting pressure to reduce this number even further.