The Dutch authority NVWA is celebrating 25 years of official veterinarian supervision in the field. Eyes on Animals was asked to meet with the organizers of the 25-year symposium to share our experiences, opinions and suggestions regarding their official inspections and animal welfare developments in the Netherlands. We looked back on the improvements that were made, particularly these last two years regarding the drastic curbing of the number of unfit animals in transit and at markets, the new effective administrative fining system and the positive impact of the “combi-teams”.
We suggested that in the future freelance veterinarians hired out by the NVWA be given more training on the EU and NL animal welfare legal requirements, and that the international cooperation with other countries lagging behind in animal welfare be intensified so that a more harmonious level of welfare be achieved. We also suggested that people working with aniamls, such as lilvestock drivers, be given practical trainings in animal handling so that bad habits could be eradicated. The meeting was very fruitful and we would like to thank the NVWA for the invitation.
