Positive list for pets

Article 33 of the Health and Welfare Law for Animals (in Dutch: "GWWD": Gezondheids en Welzijns Wet voor Dieren, 1992) states exactly which animals can be legally kept by private individuals in the Netherlands. The GWWD requires that a Positive List is established with all the species that can be kept.

The Positive List is based on the principle that no animal can be kept unless its species is included in the list. May 2006, after 14 years of discussion with the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, it was finally decided that there was indeed to be a Positive List. This came about after AAP had done everything in its power to prevent the choice for a Negative List.

Implementing these decisions into administrative regulations is taking very long, but it does seem certain a Positive List will be drawn up. At present, the Ministry of Agriculture is working on a new law that is to replace the GWWD. Aap exercises influence on this new law by means of the Coalitie DierenwelzijnsOrganisaties Nederland (Coalition of Animal Welfare Organisations in the Netherlands). The content of the Positive List has been left unchanged in the first draft of the law proposal.