Primate research phase-out approved as part of Dutch 2026 budget

The Dutch Senate has approved the 2026 budget for Education and Science, including a controversial amendment that will end public funding for primate research at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) by 2030. Starting in 2026, the BPRC must redirect 40% of its subsidy to alternative research methods, increasing by 20% every year. 

The amendment passed the lower house last July with limited debate, despite warnings from independent experts and several ministries. Senators were unable to vote on the amendment separately. Earlier pressure from EARA and others had delayed the budget vote to allow for closer scrutiny, but last week the budget, including this amendment, passed anyway. 

In the same session, the Senate rejected a different motion to speed up the transition to animal-free science in general, suggesting limited appetite for a rapid shift away from animal research. If the Senate had the chance to voteagainst the BPRC amendment alone, rather than on the budget as a whole, the outcome could have been very different. 

While the amendment aims to improve animal welfare by “safely reducing” primate research and accelerating the use of alternative methods, the actual consequences can be expected to be severe, as a sharp reduction in funding for primate research will jeopardise not only research but, first and foremost, the high animal welfare standards.