Animal breeding techniques

Do you use breeding techniques on your farm to inseminate animals or assess fertility? This means, you apply breeding techniques to animals. You usually have to apply for recognition or registration if you work with live animal products, such as semen, egg cells, and embryos.

Animal welfare

If you apply breeding techniques in the Netherlands, they may not cause unnecessary pain, injury, stress, or any other distress to the animal. You also cannot use electric stimulation to extract semen.

Animal egg cells and embryos may only be removed and transferred by someone with a professional qualification. Only recognised semen collection centres may collect sperm.

Applying for recognition or registering

Does your company work with sperm, egg cells, or embryos? You have to apply for recognition to or register with (in Dutch) the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) for

• collection,
• processing,
• storage, and
• transport of semen and embryos.

On the website of the NVWA you can check if you need to apply for recognition or registration (in Dutch). This depends on the type of animal and if you want to ship within or outside of the Netherlands. Sometimes you need both for your company. Read the manual (in Dutch) and use the extension form (in Dutch) to apply for recognition or registration.

Monitoring approved companies

The NVWA keeps a list of approved companies (in Dutch) for the extraction or storage of live animal products. Is your company recognised? Then you will be checked (in Dutch) once or twice a year to see if you still comply with the rules.

Online application procedure via Message Box

You can apply for a certification of your sperm collection centre also via Message Box. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.