Policy Advice | Netherlands National Committee for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes

One of the NCad’s main responsibilities is to provide advice on how to improve the welfare of laboratory animals, how to reduce animal experiments and how to replace animal experiments with animal-free alternatives.

The NCad provides policy advice to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). Advice can also be directed to the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), Animal Welfare Bodies and/or researchers. Examples of our work are guidelines on the purchase, breeding, housing, care and use of animals for experiments.

In the figure below, the process of developing an advice is illustrated.

Stappenplan proces

Ministry, the CCD, an Animal Welfare Body or another organization asks for advice

NCad discusses the request and communicates if and how it will proceed with the request

NCad decides on its own initiative to start with a policy advice

NCad draws up an action plan for each policy advice

Two NCad members take the lead supported by the staff

Input is sought from national and international experts through working groups and public consultations

Final policy advice is adopted during NCad meeting

The policy advice is presented to the responsible minister who sends it with policy response to the House of Representatives

Each policy advice is published on the NCad website

Policy advice