Dutch ban on animal experiments

3. A ban would be unethical and put safety standards at risk

In the event of a total ban on animal experiments, two scenarios are conceivable: either there would be an unacceptable fall in safety standards, because medical research in humans would be conducted without preclinical research, which would not be ethically acceptable; or, for the protection of human subjects in clinical trials, medical research would not be carried out and scientific progress would thus be prevented. The Netherlands recognized this dilemma and abandoned the project. The objective of a complete exit was diluted into an intention to promote alternative methods and animal-free innovations, which was absorbed into the 3Rs strategy, according to which pharmaceutical researchers use alternatives to as many animal experiments as possible (Replace), use fewer laboratory animals (Reduce) and keep any stress on the animals to a minimum (Refine). Owing to a lack of alternatives, however, a moratorium on animal experiments is no longer being considered.