Legislation
- Animal Welfare Act : Wet van 19 mei 2011, houdende een integraal kader voor regels over gehouden dieren en daaraan gerelateerde onderwerpen (in Dutch)
- Decree of 17 June 2014, containing amendments to the Decree regarding Keepers of Animals related to regulations for the breeding of pets and commercial activities with pets (in English)
- CAROdog legal questionnaire
Publication related to the legislation
Enforcement tools
Animal Welfare Comittee in the Government
Raad voor Dierenaangelegenheden (RDA, Council for Animal Affairs)
Function:: The RDA is a board of experts advising the Minister of LNV on animal welfare and animal health issues.
Note: Recently ethical issues were repeatedly addressed, at the request of the minister – if the Ministry of LNV is discontinued and ‘merged’ with the Ministry for Economic Affairs, ethical issues might well disappear from the agenda again.
Structural element in the Parliament on animal welfare issues
Vaste commissie voor LNV (group of dedicated and expert members of Parliament who debate animal issues – for or against animal welfare, as the case might be – they represent all parties)
Animal Welfare Police
The Dierenpolitie was established in 2011 by the Security and Justice minister Ivo Opstelten.
•Competence officialy for animal cruelty and the killing of animals; animal neglect; bestiality; animal pornography; poaching; animal fights. BUT in practice: no competence for farm animals / main competence for pets
•500 officers expected for end of the year (125 officers currently)
•Linked with a dedidated hotline (144) to report animal abuse
•Animal Police officers receive an extra 4-month training on animal related legislation and procedures, but also on how to recognise suffering in animals
To learn more about this special police, please consult http://www.government.nl/issues/police/animal-police-officers
Animal Welfare Political party
Partij Voor De Dieren
https://www.partijvoordedieren.nl/