Animals

It is not permitted to sell items via bol that consist of real fur, such as angora or mohair. By real fur, we mean: animal skin, or parts thereof, with hair or fur in processed or unprocessed form, or the coat of an animal. It is also not permitted to sell actual animals via bol, such as frozen chicks. The following materials are permitted:

• Synthetic materials that resemble fur
• Animal hides (or parts thereof) from sheep, cows, goats, and reindeer (with the exception of the Angora goat)
• Wool (with the exception of angora and mohair wool)

We do not offer items made from endangered animal species via the platform. These species are listed by CITES and/or IUCN. You may not sell items made from protected animals via bol. This applies even if you have a valid permit, declaration, or license.

For example, the following materials are not permitted:

• Ivory
• Exotic leather (for example, snake and crocodile leather)

Mouse and rat poison

Since June 29, 2023, it is no longer permitted to sell mouse and rat poison based on anticoagulants (blood thinners) in the Netherlands. Alpha-chloralose (a consciousness-depressing agent) is permitted. If you want to offer mouse and rat poison via bol, you must always state the authorization number for the country of sale in the content.

Glue traps and glue boards

The use of glue traps or glue boards for catching rats and mice is prohibited in the Netherlands, unless the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) grants an exception for you. Furthermore, the use of glue boards is animal-unfriendly and therefore undesirable on our platform.

The sale of certain veterinary medicinal products is controlled due to legal requirements and regulations. The Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation outlines all conditions applicable to a veterinary medicinal product. The Animals Act, the Veterinary Medicinal Products Decree 2022, and the Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation 2022 contain all (Dutch) national conditions for veterinary medicinal products.

As a partner, you are responsible for ensuring that your offer complies with these requirements. Therefore, pay extra attention when selling veterinary medicinal products. Different rules apply to the Dutch market than to the Belgian market.

Selling in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the category '“FREE” veterinary medicinal product' (veterinary medicinal products available without a prescription) may be sold. These are veterinary medicinal products intended for both food-producing and non-food-producing animals. This type of veterinary medicinal product ("FREE") is listed in the database of the Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG) for veterinary medicinal products.

It is therefore mandatory to always fill in the item characteristic “type of veterinary medicinal product”. If in doubt, you can look up your items in the database for veterinary medicinal products.

An item can also be considered a veterinary medicinal product due to a veterinary claim or based on its properties.

It is not permitted to sell veterinary medicinal products in the categories "UDA", "UDD", and "URA". If you sell items via bol in Belgium with only a Belgian shop (without a Dutch Chamber of Commerce number), you must be registered in the FAGG register for the online sale of free veterinary medicinal products for the Dutch market.

Expired Veterinary Medicinal Products

Veterinary medicinal products included on the overview list of January 28, 2022, are expired veterinary medicinal products. A sell-out period applies to these veterinary medicinal products. This means that the medicinal products are allowed on the market until January 29, 2027, at the latest.

Seresto

Do you want to (continue to) sell veterinary medicinal products from the Seresto brand? You can, provided you can demonstrate that you obtained your offer through an official distribution channel of the brand. You can apply for sales rights via this link.

Selling in Belgium

It is currently not permitted to sell veterinary medicinal products in Belgium. For selling in Belgium, additional rules apply from the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAGG). You are not allowed to sell veterinary medicinal products online in Belgium, including items you have purchased from the Netherlands.

Pet Food Supplements

It is, however, possible to sell pet food supplements via bol in Belgium.

Pet food supplements are intended to complement nutrients that may be missing from an animal's diet. Not to be confused with a veterinary medicinal product specifically developed to treat diseases and reduce symptoms, such as anti-inflammatories or anti-parasitic agents.

In Belgium, the FAGG determines whether an item is a veterinary medicinal product. As a partner, you are responsible for checking this and only offering pet food supplements in Belgium that can be sold without additional regulations. If you do not comply with this, we will be forced to take your item(s) offline and deduct policy points.

Registration in the Register of Online Trade in Veterinary Medicinal Products Required

The rules for traders in veterinary medicinal products have recently changed. Registration in the Register of Online Trade in Veterinary Medicinal Products is mandatory for traders who sell veterinary medicinal products online. This concerns veterinary medicinal products with a marketing authorisation or an exemption from it. These can be found in the Veterinary Medicinal Products Information Bank. An exemption applies to veterinary medicinal products that fall under the 'companion animals' group. Click here for more information.

Information on applying for a marketing authorisation for a veterinary medicinal product can be found here.

If you only sell items that do not meet the above requirements, you cannot be included in the Register of Online Trade in Veterinary Medicinal Products. For registration in the Register of Online Trade in Veterinary Medicinal Products, a Chamber of Commerce extract and completing a questionnaire are mandatory. A registration for your own web address, with the URL linked to your webshop, is sufficient. You do not need to register separately again for selling via bol. It is important that the registered company name in the register matches the name you use for selling via bol. If you do not have your own website but sell exclusively via bol, you can enter "exclusive selling via bol" for the web address.

Please note! We check these registrations. The Register of Online Trade in Veterinary Medicinal Products is updated monthly. We will take offers without registration or offers with incorrectly filled or missing item characteristics offline.

Expired Registration

If your registration expires, you must inform bol. Additionally, when selling free veterinary medicinal products, it is mandatory to add an updated leaflet/manual. You can link to the leaflet by using this link: Link. This link is located in the item characteristic of the content. In place of the XXXX, you then fill in the registration number. This number is on the outer packaging or in the leaflet inside the packaging. We call this the REG NL number. It may be that there is no REG NL number, but for example, an REG NL H number. If this occurs, still put REG NL before the number. A European logo will be displayed on every page where customers can add veterinary medicinal products to their shopping cart.

It has been decided to stop selling electric shock collars and prong collars for animals in the Netherlands and Belgium. The reason for this is the amendment of Article 2.1 of the Animals Act, which states that a complete legal ban on the use of electric shock and prong collars applies in the Netherlands. In the case of electric shock collars, this specifically refers to equipment that allows the owner to inflict pain on the animal through electric shocks, electromagnetic signals, or radiation.

Because we prioritize the safety and health of animals over business interests, we choose to go further than what is legally required. Therefore, it has been decided not to offer these items in Belgium either. Electric shock collars will also be banned there in 2027.

Safety information is provided on the packaging of some items. This information is important because it ensures our customers receive items of high quality and safety. Additionally, European guidelines require you to include this safety information on the item page. More information about these regulations can be found here. The mandatory safety information can be found on the item's packaging. Detailed safety information is provided on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). The SDS can be requested from the item's partner. SDS is important for product categories containing items with hazardous substances. Examples include items such as superglue, laundry detergent, and dish soap. For each item, fill in the required characteristics. These must be identical to the safety information on the item's packaging label:

• SIGNAL WORD: 'Danger' or 'Warning';
• HAZARD STATEMENT(S): on the label, these can be found under the heading 'hazard statements'. These are identifiable by the H-phrases on the SDS;
• PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENT(S): these are the recommended precautionary measures. These are identifiable by the P-phrases on the SDS.

Cannabidiol (CBD)

To sell items containing CBD (Cannabidiol) safely to our customers (and their pets), we have created additional guidelines. These guidelines apply in addition to existing laws and regulations. For CBD intended for human consumption, you are obliged to comply with the Food and Beverage policy.

CBD for human consumption

• CBD is a food supplement, a concentrated addition to normal nutrition, and is therefore only permitted in the product group for supplements.
• Food and beverages with added CBD are not allowed on our platform. See more information here about the Food and Beverage policy.
• Selling CBD supplements in Belgium? See more information here about selling food supplements in Belgium.

Additional conditions

• It is mandatory to give CBD items a GDSN GS1 registration, so it is clear that the items fall under the category of food supplements. Here you can find more information about GS1 registration in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Active THC is not allowed, and it is mandatory to state how much THC an item contains. If you do not state this correctly, it will be considered food fraud.
• For the product characteristic ‘Type of herb or plant’, ‘CBD’ must be filled in. It is also mandatory to fill in a percentage for the product characteristic ‘THC content’.
• It is not allowed to make medical or health-related claims about an item. Check this carefully if you make a claim.
• The item may not contain an amount of active substances that would cause it to fall under medicines legislation. More information about this can be found here.
• PLEASE NOTE: for food supplements, strict requirements apply to labels on the packaging. These must be set up correctly with additional information about the name and conditions of use of the item.

CBD for animal consumption

For the safety of our customers' pets, it is important to adhere to the following conditions:

• Only approved hemp varieties may be present in CBD items for animals. See more information here about this legislation.
• It is mandatory to fill in all ingredients of the item in the designated product characteristic. These must match the actual content of the item.

To ensure that our customers receive controlled organic items, and that we comply with laws and regulations concerning organic items, we have set additional conditions for the use of the SKAL label.

What is SKAL and what does it mean for selling organic items?

SKAL is an independent administrative body that monitors the organic production process. It checks whether everything is processed, sold, and registered correctly.

Within the product categories of foodstuffs, food supplements, animal feed, plants, and flower bulbs, the term 'organic' is a protected term. It may only be used for controlled items. These items are recognizable by the European Organic Label, also known as 'the green leaf'. The Agriculture Biologique, Demeter, and EKO labels also meet SKAL's requirements. Therefore, these labels may also display the green leaf on the items. Every company that sells these items to our customers via our platform must register. bol may only offer and sell certified organic items. This means that both the intermediary and the producer must be certified.

For this certification, the items must comply with:

1. The EU Organic Regulation.
2. The Dutch Agricultural Quality Act.
3. The regulations and principles of SKAL Bio control.

1. Ensure that your company is SKAL certified to trade organic items
2. Ensure that your storage of the items meets the SKAL storage requirements
3. Request here the sustainability label 'European Organic Label', 'Agriculture Biologique', 'Demeter' or 'EKO' so that your organic product range is properly labeled on our website.
4. The SKAL code NL-BIO-01 must be visible on the invoice to customers. To get the SKAL code on your invoice, it is important that the SKAL code (NL-BIO-01) is included in the title of the organic item. By placing the code in the title, the code will automatically appear on the invoice to the customer. We recommend placing the code at the end of the title.

We do not promote items associated with dog and cat breeds that face health risks due to harmful external characteristics. For example, think of short-nosed breeds, such as French Bulldogs and Persian cats. Therefore, we do not use items that depict these breeds in our marketing communications. You can find the complete list of breeds and more information on Dier&Recht, here for dogs and here for cats.