Biocides regulations

Biocidal products are controlled in:

  • Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR)
  • Northern Ireland under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR)

But some types of biocidal product have other specific legislation that applies to them in the UK and may be exempt from BPR. For example, plant protection products and medicines.

Check your product is regulated as a biocidal product[67]

Control of Pesticides Regulations (COPR)

COPR is an older law that only applies to some types of biocidal products. These products can continue to be regulated under COPR while the active substance is still being evaluated under GB or EU BPR.

More about COPR and the products it applies to[68]

Schemes for disinfectants

If your product is a disinfectant, it may need to comply with one or more of the following schemes that apply in Great Britain:

  • aquaculture[69] - disinfectants that have been independently validated as effective against viral and bacterial diseases affecting freshwater fish
  • drinking water[70] - disinfectants used in drinking water from the source of the water, up to the point of delivery to the consumer's building
  • veterinary[71] - disinfectants used against certain named pathogens such as foot-and-mouth disease, swine vesicular disease and tuberculosis

These are schemes HSE is aware of and this list is not exhaustive. HSE does not operate these schemes and cannot offer any advice on their requirements.

These products will require HSE authorisation under GB BPR[72] once the biocidal active substance is approved under GB BPR. These products may also need to continue to comply with the requirements of the relevant scheme after the product has a GB BPR authorisation.

General regulations to comply with

Biocidal products may be covered by general chemical and product safety law which continues to operate in Great Britain such as:

Specific elements of GB BPR also apply to all biocidal products before (and after) the product is authorised under GB BPR, namely:

Link URLs in this page

  1. Biocideshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/index.htm
  2. Biocides: Introductionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/introduction.htm
  3. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/regulated/index.htm
  4. Biocides: active substance statushttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/checking/index.htm
  5. Importing and exportinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/importing.htm
  6. Certificates of Free Sale and Export Statementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/certificates-of-freesale.htm
  7. Treated articleshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/treated-articles.htm
  8. Monitoring trapshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/monitoring-traps.htm
  9. Article 3(3) decisions on scopehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/decisions-on-scope.htm
  10. In situ generationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/in-situ-generation.htm
  11. Get product on UK markethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/market.htm
  12. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/using.htm
  13. Honey beeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/honey-bees.htm
  14. Rodenticideshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/rodenticides.htm
  15. Reporting exposurehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/reporting.htm
  16. Biocides enforcementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/enforcement.htm
  17. Authorities and activitieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/enforcement-authorities.htm
  18. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/active-substance-approval.htm
  19. UK Review Programmehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/review-regulation.htm
  20. Active substances: How to applyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/how-to-apply.htm
  21. Simplified active substanceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/simplified-actives.htm
  22. The GB List of Active Substanceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-list-active-substances.htm
  23. GB Article 95: The basicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-article-95-basics.htm
  24. GB Article 95: How to applyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-article-95-how-to-apply.htm
  25. The GB Article 95 Listhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-article-95-list.htm
  26. Technical equivalence of an active substancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/technical-equivalence.htm
  27. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/product-authorisation-overview.htm
  28. National authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/national-authorisation.htm
  29. Simplified authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/simplified-product-authorisation.htm
  30. Same biocidal product authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/same-biocidal-product.htm
  31. Change or cancel a biocidal product authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/change/index.htm
  32. Renew an existing product authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/renew.htm
  33. Research and developmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/research.htm
  34. Essential use authorisationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/essential-use-authorisation.htm
  35. Critical situation permitshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/critical-situation-permits.htm
  36. Food and feed derogationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/derogation.htm
  37. Unfettered access notificationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/unfettered-access-notification.htm
  38. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-authorised-biocidal-products.htm
  39. Advertisement requirementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/advertisement-requirements.htm
  40. Packaging and labelling requirementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/packaging-labelling-requirements.htm
  41. Record keepinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/recording-keeping-reporting.htm
  42. Informing NPIShttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/informing-npis.htm
  43. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/data-protection.htm
  44. Access to documents: Biocidal active substances and productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/access-to-documents.htm
  45. Data sharing in GBhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/data-sharing.htm
  46. Vertebrate testinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/vertebrate-testing.htm
  47. GB BPR feeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/fees.htm
  48. Biocides regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/regulations.htm
  49. Northern Irelandhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/northern-ireland.htm
  50. Existing products: Transfer to GB BPRhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/transfer-from-uk-national-law.htm
  51. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/index.htm
  52. COPR approval: how to applyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/application.htm
  53. COPR product approval typeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/approvals.htm
  54. COPR approved productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/approved.htm
  55. COPR feeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/fees.htm
  56. COPR labellinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/labelguidance.htm
  57. Conditions of approvalhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/conditions.htm
  58. Open invitations and notificationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/open-invitations-notifications.htm
  59. Consultations and surveyshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/consultations.htm
  60. Consultations: Submitting informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/consultations-submitting.htm
  61. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/information.htm
  62. Glossaryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/glossary.htm
  63. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/links.htm
  64. Contacthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/contact.htm
  65. Service standardshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/servicestandards.htm
  66. Temporary changes to GB biocides application processing timeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/temporary-changes-application-processing-time.htm
  67. Check your product is regulated as a biocidal producthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/regulated/index.htm
  68. More about COPR and the products it applies tohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/copr/index.htm
  69. aquaculturehttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/aquaculture-disinfectant-listing-scheme-apply-or-view
  70. drinking waterhttp://www.dwi.gov.uk/
  71. veterinaryhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-your-disinfectant-approved-by-defra
  72. authorisation under GB BPRhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/transfer-from-uk-national-law.htm
  73. GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (GB CLP) Regulationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/index.htm
  74. General Product Safety (GPS) Regulationshttps://www.gov.uk/product-safety-for-manufacturers#general-product-safety-regulations
  75. advertisinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/advertisement-requirements.htm
  76. record keepinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/recording-keeping-reporting.htm
  77. GB Article 95 listhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/uk-article-95-list.htm
  78. National Poisons Information Servicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/Biocides/informing-npis.htm
  79. GB BPR legislative texthttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/880/contents/made
  80. EU BPR legislative texthttps://echa.europa.eu/regulations/biocidal-products-regulation/legislation
  81. COPR legislative texthttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1510/contents/made

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

COPR
Control of Pesticides Regulations

Is this page useful?

Updated 2025-03-12