Veterinary depot

A depot of medicinal products, or depot, is a site where all the medicinal products that a veterinarian may have to use for treating animals are.

The veterinarian who has a depot must be supplied by a pharmacist or an authorized wholesaler-distributor.

Each depot is managed by a depositary veterinarian. The depositary veterinarian of the depot must be an individual.

The depositary veterinarian is responsible for compliance with the obligations under the laws and regulations relating to the supplying and the content of the depot and, where appropriate, to medicinal products he administers or supplies.

The depositary veterinarian has only one depot and this depot is located at the address which is notified by registered letter to the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP). You find the document  (PDF, 57 Kb)here.

The FAMHP gives an identification number for each depot. The depositary veterinarian communicates the identification number and address of the depot to the Association of Veterinarians. The depositary veterinarian communicates each change concerning the depot to FAMHP.

The ordering of medicinal products is made by using an order form, written in two copies, dated and signed by the depositary veterinarian. All medicinal products that are in the depot of the veterinarian must be justified by the order form that is countersigned and dated by the pharmacist. The depositary veterinarian keeps copies of order forms given by the pharmacist, puts them in chronological order and keeps them for 10 years from the date of their execution.

The depositary veterinarian keeps an updated list of all veterinarians who get supplies from his depot (veterinarians working together, giving the following details:

• name
• first name
• home adress
• registration number on the Assciation of veterinarians.

In this case, each veterinarian is responsible for compliance with the obligations under the laws and regulations relating to medicinal products that he administers or provides.

Any supply of medicinal products, by payment or free, from a depot to another is prohibited.

When the veterinarian stops for good the activities of his deposit, he must, within 15 working days from the date of termination, inform in writing the inspector of the FAMHP (you can find the list of inspectors below).

At the time of the death of a depositary veterinarian, this period is extended to 60 working days from the date of the death and the obligation of informing belongs to the person in charge of the succession.
The aforementioned inspector may allow, in the cases mentioned above, another depositary veterinarian to acquire the medicinal products of this depot.

The depositary veterinarian keeps a register in which he daily records or has recorded, clearly, accurately and completely each acquisition of medicinal products and a register in which he daily records or has recorded, clearly, accurately and completely each supplying or administration of medicinal products. Each of these registers can be replaced by another system which contains the same data and which is easy to read and can be made immediately. The depositary veterinarian makes at least once a year a detailed audit during which the registers of entered and exited medicinal products are compared with medicinal products in stock, any discrepancies being justified in a report. These elements are made available to inspectors during a period of at least five years.

Questions & Answers (French version) (PDF, 114.77 Kb) concerning the filing of drugs.

Circular 570 (French version)  (PDF, 828.5 Kb)concerning the notification of the depot of medicinal products for veterinary use.

List of inspectors (PDF, 18.34 Kb)

DG Inspection

Delivery Division
email: inspection@afmps.be
tel: 02/524.80.00
Fax: 02/521.80.01