Breeding from pedigree dogs with an hereditary disease or inbred disorder is to be banned and DNA tests of puppies and the parents will be needed for recognition of a family tree, the NRC reports.

The move comes after increasing criticism from animal organisations, vets and the government about unhealthy breeding practices, and is backed by the majority of dog owner and breeder organisations.
Around 40,000 puppies will undergo a DNA test each year to provide certainty about parentage and insight into any serious diseases. If these are found, they will be noted on the family tree.
However, critics of the ban are sceptical. Socialist party MP Henk van Gerven called it ‘entirely insufficient’ and ‘just fighting the symptoms’, says the NRC.
Around 40% of the 750,000 pedigree dogs bred in the Netherlands has an inherited handicap.