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Animal welfare

The owner or keeper of an animal is primarily responsible for its welfare, but there are also statutory regulations and Government requirements. For example, we are bringing in stricter rules on mistreatment of animals, while general care requirements for all animal keepers should be in place by 2013.

To simplify, review and improve some of the existing laws and regulations on animals they will now be combined in the new Dutch Animals Act (in Dutch).

The Animals Act will replace the following Dutch laws:

The Animal Health and Welfare Act (Gezondheids- en welzijnswet voor dieren);
The Veterinary Medicines Act (Diergeneesmiddelenwet);
The Protection of Animals Act (Wet op de dierenbescherming);
The Veterinary Practice Act (Wet op de uitoefening van de diergeneeskunde 1990);
The Animal Feeds Framework Act (Kaderwet diervoeders).

The target date for entry into force is 1 January 2013.

Domestic pets and non-commercial animals

Of all Dutch households 55% keep a pet. This adds up to around 1.8 million dogs, 3.3 million cats, 1 million rabbits, 800,000 rodents, 19 million fish, 5 million birds and 250,000 reptiles and amphibians.

Care of domestic pets
People who keep pets must feed and care for them properly. They must not cause the animals unnecessary pain or injury, or withhold correct care.

Compulsory micro-chipping of dogs
From spring 2012, owners of newborn dogs must have them chipped for identification purposes. This is a Government move to improve the welfare of dogs and combat anomalies in dog breeding and trade. Anyone buying a dog must ensure that it is chipped and registered.

Commercial breeders or private individuals with litters will soon be required to have pups chipped within 7 weeks of birth. Once they are chipped the owner must register his/her name and address and other details. Information on the person implanting the chip is also recorded. The information is kept in databases designated by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I).

It is estimated that around 100,000 pups will be chipped per year. Under the Animal Health and Welfare Act (GWWD) the supervisory authorities can use the collected data to map trade patterns. This enables them to check whether someone is operating on a commercial basis, and to trace the owner or breeder of an ill-treated, neglected or abandoned dog.

Non-commercial animals

Animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and chickens, which are kept as a hobby – i.e. in small numbers and without profit motive - are subject to different rules to domestic pets.

Health of non-commercial animals
The owners are responsible for the health of their animals. If they think an animal is sick, they must call in a vet. The vet will determine whether the animal is sick, whether and how to treat it, and whether to notify the disease to the authorities. This may be required if there is a risk of infection.

Furthermore, all physical intervention in animals is prohibited unless the intervention is expressly listed as allowable in the Interventions Decree (in Dutch).

Farmed animals

Farmed animals, such as cows, pigs and hens are kept for their products such as milk or meat. Most welfare rules applying to farmed animals relate to housing and transportation.

Zoo and circus animals

Animals in a zoo must be exhibited to the public for at least seven days per year. Separate rules apply.
Zoo animals

The main requirements for animal welfare in zoos are:

Animals must have space to express their natural behaviour, such as digging, climbing, swimming or nesting and to pursue their normal social behaviour (in groups or alone if appropriate);
Animals must have sufficient space to care for themselves, to grow and to reproduce;
Human and animal safety must be guaranteed; for example, a zoo must take measures to prevent the animals escaping;
Animals, feeding, breeding and veterinary care must all be recorded; the zoo must have suitable contingency plans.

An evaluation of the Zoos Decree (in Dutch) indicates that welfare standards in Dutch zoos are satisfactory to good. Welfare has improved, particularly in the smaller zoos.

Circus animals

The new act prohibits abuse and neglect of animals. Circuses must also comply with the Flora and Fauna Act (in Dutch) and European transport regulations.