[Veterinarians and experimental animals - duties and rights (author's transl)]

Well over one million warm-blooded experimental animals are used in the Netherlands every year. The community is socially responsible for the purposes of research. The team of investigators is responsible for the scientific and technical merits of the experimental study, and this responsibility is based on the special knowledge and skill of those concerned. The future Laboratory Animal Act will not be able to ensure "the rights of animals" by rigid rules. The Act is effective in that it: (a) affords guarantees that experts (including veterinarians having expert knowledge of the care and management of laboratory animals, veterinary inspectors and animal technicians) will assist at experiments on animals and, (b) will make available that data of laboratory animals and types of experiment, which is essential to the proper functioning of social responsibility. The veterinarian having expert knowledge of the care and management of laboratory animals should take steps to ensure that the stress to which animals are exposed in experimental studies is not in excess of the value of the experiment. His attention should therefore be directed to the health and uniformity of the experimental animals, the methods adopted in experimental procedures, the training of animal technicians and medical or biological students, instruction of intending research workers, providing literature on experimental animals and normal values, advice on experimental designs and the choice of an animal model.