Can I still buy rat or mouse poison myself?

KAD, which carries out no pest control itself and therefore has nothing to sell, reports that buying poison based on anticoagulants has been prohibited for private individuals since the 2023 rule change.

Mouse poison based on alphachloralose stayed on sale after that as the only product you could still just buy in a shop, in bait boxes. That authorisation has now also been withdrawn: sale to private individuals is banned since 17 June 2026, and using it or keeping it in stock is banned from 17 December 2026. So this is not part of the 2023 rule change, but a later and separate step.

The Ctgb, which decides which biocides are authorised in the Netherlands, allows rodenticides based on anticoagulants only for trained professional users working to integrated pest management. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate enforces this.

If you want to know what is currently still authorised for private use, check the Ctgb authorisation register or the government portal biociden.nl. It lists per product who may use it and under what conditions. Web shops that claim otherwise have an interest in doing so.

Poison works slowly. A rat or mouse that takes it is weakened for days, and a weakened animal is exactly what cats, owls and birds of prey catch. That is why outdoor use carries strict conditions.

There is a second issue. Research into resistance in brown rats and house mice, submitted to the Dutch Senate, shows the products no longer work as they should in some places. Years of laying out poison breeds the population that no longer dies from it.

In short: topping up bait blocks yourself for years is not only prohibited, it is also the way to make the problem bigger than it was.

Proofing is the only thing that lasts. A mouse gets through a gap you cannot fit your little finger into, so seal gaps around pipes, vents, the crawl space hatch and where the facade meets the roof. Use material they cannot gnaw through, not expanding foam.

Take the food away. Bird feed, a spilled feeder, dog mess, compost with kitchen scraps and open rubbish bags are the reason they stay at your place and not at the neighbours'.

Traps are yours to use. Set them along the wall where the animals run, not in the middle of the room, and check them daily. If you find a dead animal, do not handle it with bare hands.

If you see several animals during the day, you already have a population rather than a passer by. That is the moment to call a professional.

The main line is simple. On your own land and in your own home you are responsible, as owner or as tenant. In public space and where the municipal sewer leaks, the council is.

Exactly where that line falls differs per municipality and is set out in the local bylaw and on the council website. Councils such as Rotterdam and Utrecht explain on their own pages what they do and do not do and where to report.

If you rent, it also depends on your tenancy agreement and on whether the problem stems from a defect in the property. Report it to your landlord in writing before you call anyone in yourself, otherwise the bill stays with you.

Ask whether they work to integrated pest management. That means inspection first, then proofing and removing food sources, and only a chemical product if it is genuinely needed. Anyone who starts with poison is doing it the other way round.

Ask about competence and about the quality mark. KPMB is the Dutch quality mark for pest management companies and gives you something to select on.

If you farm, the IPM-KBA certificate for rodent management on agricultural businesses has applied since 1 January 2023. That is a different scheme from the one covering your home.

Have them explain what happens after the treatment. A controller who only removes animals and leaves the gaps open will be back next year at your expense.