Agriculture & Farming

If you keep bees professionally or as a hobby and cannot meet the legally required distance between your beehives and neighbouring properties, you need an exemption from the municipality. Municipal regulations typically require a minimum distance to prevent nuisance from bee flight paths and stinging incidents.You apply for the exemption at your municipality, explaining why you cannot meet the distance requirements and what measures you will take to limit nuisance. The municipality may grant the exemption with conditions, such as placing flight barriers or limiting the number of hives. Beekeeping is valued for its contribution to biodiversity and pollination, and municipalities generally try to find workable solutions.

Issued by: Municipality

An animal keeping exemption (dierenhouderontheffing) is an exemption required if you want to keep many animals at a location such as a petting farm or animal shelter. This exemption is required if the animal housing does not meet the legally required minimum distances to buildings where people reside.The exemption is issued by the municipality based on the General Local Ordinance (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, APV). The purpose is to ensure that keeping animals does not cause nuisance or health risks to residents. Operators of petting farms, animal shelters, or individuals with many animals can apply for this exemption.

Issued by: Municipality

If you want to keep a mammal that is not on the domestic and hobby animal list, you need an exemption. This exemption is intended to ensure that animals that need extra care or special circumstances are only kept by suitable keepers.The exemption is granted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. This applies to mammals that are not considered generally accepted pets and for which specific knowledge and facilities are needed to ensure the animal's welfare.

Issued by: Netherlands Enterprise Agency

If your business grows, sells, or stocks flower bulbs, you are required to register with the Flower Bulb Inspection Service (Bloembollenkeuringsdienst, BKD). This registration obligation applies to all companies active in the flower bulb sector under the Agricultural Quality Decree 2007 (Landbouwkwaliteitsbesluit 2007).The BKD inspects flower bulbs for quality and plant health, ensuring that only disease-free and properly labeled bulbs reach the market. Registration enables traceability throughout the supply chain. The BKD conducts field inspections during the growing season and checks stored batches. Non-compliance with quality requirements or plant health regulations can result in rejected batches, trade restrictions, or fines.

Issued by: Flower Bulb Inspection Service (BKD)

A CITES permit or certificate is required if your business keeps, transports, imports, or exports protected animal and plant species. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) protects endangered species from overexploitation through international trade. This affects pet shops, exotic animal breeders, plant nurseries, leather goods manufacturers, and other businesses dealing in protected species or products derived from them.The permit is issued by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO, Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland). You apply through the RVO website, providing documentation about the species, their origin, and the purpose of trade or transport. Processing times vary depending on the type of permit. Trading in protected species without proper CITES documentation is a criminal offence.

Issued by: Netherlands Enterprise Agency

An animal transport document (dierenvervoersdocument) is a mandatory document that must be maintained during the transport of animals. This document contains information about the transport, the animals, care during transport, and the responsible persons.The obligation to maintain this document follows from EU Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. The document is mandatory for animal transporters, both for commercial and non-commercial transport, depending on the distance and duration of transport. The purpose is to ensure animal welfare during transport and enable inspection.

Issued by: European Union

The animal transport license (dierenvervoersvergunning) is a mandatory permit for businesses transporting live animals over distances longer than 65 kilometers or longer than 8 hours. This license is issued by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and ensures animal welfare during transport.Professional transporters who regularly transport animals for commercial purposes are required to apply for this license. The license applies to both domestic transport within the Netherlands and cross-border transport within the European Union. In addition to the license, a valid transport document (journey log) is mandatory for each transport.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

The animal transport vehicle certificate (dierenvervoersvoertuigcertificaat) is a mandatory document for vehicles used to transport live animals over longer distances (more than 65 kilometers) within the European Union. The certificate proves that the vehicle meets the technical requirements for animal transport and is suitable for animal welfare during transport.This certificate is issued by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) after inspection of the vehicle. It is required in addition to the animal transport license and must be present in the vehicle during each transport.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

A phytosanitary export certificate (fytosanitair exportcertificaat) is an official document required when exporting plants and plant products to countries outside the European Union. The certificate confirms that the consignment is free from harmful organisms (pests) and complies with the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country.The certificate is issued by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) after inspection of the consignment. For imports of plants and plant products from outside the EU, an inspection takes place at the EU border. The certificate is based on international agreements and EU regulations to protect plant health.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

A plant passport (plantenpaspoort) is an official label required for trading and transporting plants, seeds, and planting material within the European Union. The passport certifies that the plants are free from quarantine pests and diseases and meet EU phytosanitary standards. It must accompany each trading unit of regulated plants.To issue plant passports, your business must be registered with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and authorized as a professional operator. This involves inspections of your nursery, garden center, or wholesale operation. You are responsible for checking incoming material, maintaining traceability records, and applying the correct passport labels before sale or shipment.

Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature

If your business processes animal by-products (parts of animals not intended for human consumption, such as slaughter waste, carcasses, hides, feathers, or manure), you need formal approval (erkenning) from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). This approval is required under EU Regulation 1069/2009 on animal by-products.The NVWA inspects your facilities, equipment, and operational procedures before granting approval. Your business must meet hygiene, traceability, and waste handling standards that prevent the spread of animal diseases and protect the food chain. The approval specifies which categories of by-products you may process and under which conditions. Periodic re-inspections ensure continued compliance.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

If your business processes animal by-products on a smaller scale, you must notify the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) rather than obtain full approval. This notification requirement applies to activities such as composting, biogas production from animal waste, or using by-products in pet food manufacturing at certain volumes.The notification covers processing activities that fall outside the scope of the full approval requirement but still involve animal-origin materials. You must provide details about your processing methods, the categories of by-products handled, and your traceability systems. The NVWA registers your notification and may carry out inspections to verify compliance with EU health regulations for animal by-products.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

A veterinary export certificate is an official document required for the export of live animals, animal products, and certain animal feeds to countries outside the European Union. The certificate confirms that the products meet the veterinary and health requirements of the destination country.The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) issues veterinary export certificates after inspection of the goods to be exported. The certificate is mandatory to comply with international trade agreements and to prevent the spread of animal diseases.

Issued by: Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

If you produce, trade or transport wine in the Netherlands, you are required to register with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). This registration obligation is laid down in the Wine and Olive Oil Regulation and follows from European regulations for the wine sector.Registration is necessary to supervise wine production and trade in the Netherlands, and to ensure that Dutch wine producers comply with European quality standards and labeling requirements. You must comply with various rules regarding production, labeling and administration.

Issued by: Ministry of Economic Affairs / NVWA

An exemption for fertilizer use experiments (ontheffing experiment gebruik meststoffen) is a temporary exemption from the prohibition on using organic fertilizers during the period from September 1 through January 31. This exemption is issued by the province and is intended for conducting scientific or practice-oriented experiments.Normally, the use of organic fertilizers on arable and grassland is prohibited during this period to prevent nutrient leaching. With an exemption, you may experiment with fertilizer use under controlled conditions from September 1 through September 15.

Issued by: Province

A wildlife management unit (faunabeheereenheid) is an organization responsible for managing wild animal populations in a designated area of the Netherlands. The unit operates according to an approved wildlife management plan (faunabeheerplan) that specifies target population levels for different species and the measures to achieve them, such as hunting quotas or habitat management.The province approves the wildlife management plan and issues exemptions or permits for population management activities. Wildlife management units coordinate the work of local hunters, farmers, and nature managers. They manage populations of species such as deer, wild boar, geese, and other wildlife that can cause damage to agriculture, traffic safety, or biodiversity if left unmanaged.

Issued by: Province

A wildlife management plan (faunabeheerplan) is a mandatory plan prepared by wildlife management units for managing wild animals in their working area. The plan specifies the existing numbers of different animal species and the desired numbers to be pursued. It also contains the measures to be taken to achieve these objectives.The province must approve the plan before it can be implemented. The wildlife management plan forms the basis for responsible wildlife management, taking into account ecological, agricultural and societal interests. The plan is regularly updated based on monitoring and counts.

Issued by: Province

Land consolidation (landinrichting) is a provincial planning instrument that restructures rural areas to better align competing functions such as agriculture, nature conservation, recreation, and water management. Under the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet), provinces can establish land consolidation plans that reorganize land ownership, road networks, water systems, and nature areas within a defined territory.If you are a landowner in an area subject to land consolidation, your land may be reallotted to create more efficient parcels. You receive land of equal value, though the location may change. The province coordinates the process and involves landowners, farmers, nature organizations, and water authorities in the planning. Participation is mandatory once a land consolidation plan is established, but you have the right to object to proposed allotments.

Issued by: Province

An environmental permit for supplementary feeding of wildlife (bijvoeren wild) is required if you want to provide additional food to wild animals in certain areas. Supplementary feeding can disturb the natural balance, attract unwanted species, and affect the health of wildlife populations.The province assesses permit applications and sets conditions for the type of feed, quantity, location, and duration. You apply through the Omgevingsloket (Environmental Portal). This permit is relevant for game managers, landowners, and nature area managers who want to support wildlife populations during harsh winters or for conservation purposes. Feeding without a permit in designated areas is prohibited.

Issued by: Province