Last week, the Dutch National Committee for the Protection of Animals Used in Scientific Research (NCad) published its advisory opinion on how to work towards the historic goal of animal-free science.

PETA UK and PETA Netherlands staff attended a meeting in Hague last week at which Dutch Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Martijn van Dam announced his intention for the Netherlands to end the use of animals in safety tests for chemicals, food ingredients, pesticides, veterinary medicines, and vaccines by 2025. This means that mice, rats, rabbits, and other animals will no longer have these substances forced down their throats or injected into their bodies, causing sickness, convulsions, diarrhoea, haemorrhaging, and worse before they are killed – a move that can save countless animals.

Back in September, PETA scientists submitted an extensive dossier detailing opportunities for the replacement of animal use to NCad, which included our advice and that of other stakeholders in its report, “Transition to Non-Animal Research”.

PETA commends the Netherlands on its goal to lead the world in innovative animal-free science. It is vital, though, that NCad also act expediently to end experiments in the areas of illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, where there has been an overwhelming failure of animal use to benefit humans.

As the tide of political change turns, other countries can and must follow suit by turning away from the archaic use of animals, instead of clinging to a sinking ship.

Learn more about the alternatives to animal experiments, and make a donation to support PETA’s work for all animals: