Retail sale, wholesale distribution and veterinary clinical practice can no longer be accumulated
Don’t miss our content
SubscribeSince January 28, 2022, Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products has applied directly in Portugal, as in the other EU Member States. It was expected that the national legislator would update the baseline framework, which still rests on Decree-Law No. 148/2008 of 29 July. Instead, the main changes relevant to the sector have been produced through orders issued by the competent veterinary authority, DGAV (General Directorate for Food and Veterinary).
In this context, Order No. 7551/2023 of 20 July updated the complementary rules applicable to retail establishments for veterinary medicinal products and determined that carrying out veterinary clinical practice would be incompatible with the “ownership, technical direction or any other link” to Retail Outlets for Veterinary Medicinal Products (i.e., establishments selling veterinary medicinal products subject to a veterinary prescription).
Now, Order No. 3325/2026 of 13 March was published, making the first amendment to Order No. 7551/2023. The new wording provides that the ownership of a Retail Outlet for Veterinary Medicinal Products is incompatible not only with performing veterinary clinical practice, but also with the ownership of wholesale distribution of veterinary medicines.
It is also expressly prohibited to combine the technical direction of a Retail Outlet for Veterinary Medicinal Products with (i) veterinary clinical practice and (ii) performing paid functions, on a regular or occasional basis, in companies that manufacture or distribute veterinary medicinal products, as well as with holding ownership of manufacturing companies or wholesale distributors.
Note that retail locations for veterinary medicinal products not subject to prescription (LVMVNSRMV) are not covered by these new rules, so the activities referred to here may be combined in that case.
As for timing, holders of authorizations affected by these new rules now have 180 business days, counting from March 16, 2026, to regularize their situation, and must opt for one of the activities by submitting a request to DGAV. If operators do not regularize their situation on their own initiative, DGAV will revoke the authorizations granted.
Given that these are changes with a structural impact on the veterinary sector, rather than introducing them through sporadic regulatory adjustments by the sectoral authority, the Government should undertake an integrated revision of the applicable legal framework through a dedicated decree-law that updates or replaces Decree-Law No. 148/2008 and systematically aligns domestic law with Regulation (EU) 2019/6.
Don’t miss our content
Subscribe