On 18 December 2014, the European Directive (2010/63/EU) relating to animal procedures in scientific research was introduced into national legislation in the Netherlands. New duties and responsibilities have been defined and assigned. The Netherlands National Committee for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (NCad) plays an important part in this.
The NCad achieves visible improvements that are specifically related to the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (3Rs) of animal procedures and to the associated ethical review in scientific research (including applied scientific research) and teaching. Its goal, in doing so, is to minimize laboratory animal use at both national and international level.