Ingrid van Engelshoven, Minister for Education, Culture and Science has called on the Second Chamber to phase out experiments on primates in the Netherlands. The first step will be a 40% reduction of experiments on primates in the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) in Rijswijk and a reduction of the colony size by introducing birth control. The letter to the Chamber is a response to the commissioned report "Van Aap na Beter" (from ape to better) of the Rathenau Institute.

With around 1500 primates, the BPRC is Europe's largest primate center.