Academics call for an end to animal testing

The Netherlands must play a pioneering role in ending animal testing in biomedical science. Over 20 academics wrote this in an open letter to Agriculture Minister Henk Staghouwer in the Volkskrant.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in November 2021 calling on the European Commission to draw up an action plan to end all animal testing in the EU. The Dutch academics see an excellent opportunity for the Netherlands to take a leading role in this.

"We - as experts in the field - call on the Netherlands to develop a national action plan to end animal testing that can serve as an example for the European Commission. This plan should contain reduction targets, timeliness, and actionable steps, such as ending experiments already proven not to benefit humans," the academics wrote.

The open letter was placed as an advertisement in the newspaper, with the animal rights organization PETA's logo.