Press Release: Environment: Commission takes the Netherlands to court over failure to protect animals used for scientific purposes, asks for fines

On the 16 October 2014 the European Commission referred the Netherlands to the European Court of Justice over its failure to enact EU legislation on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The EU rules, which should have been enacted into national law by November 2012, aimed to minimise the number of animals used in experiments, and require alternatives to be used where possible. The legislation also laid down minimum standards for housing and care of animals, and regulated their use, taking into consideration criteria such as pain, suffering distress and lasting harm caused to the animals. The European Commission asked the Court to impose penalty payments of EUR 51 156 per day until the law was enacted.

• Primary Source

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/14/589: October infringements package: main decisions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-589_en.htm

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