Contact us

Before contacting us, please take the time to check our website to see if there is already an answer to your question in the information provided. If you wish to keep up-to-date with the latest biocides news and information from HSE you can sign up to our e-Bulletin[68].

HSE can advise:

  • companies who have responsibilities under the Control of Pesticides Regulations (COPR) in Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI)
  • companies who have responsibilities under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR) in GB
  • companies who have responsibilities under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR) in NI
  • companies who want to support a biocidal active substance in GB
  • companies who want to supply biocidal products in GB and / or Northern Ireland
  • members of the public who have questions about biocides

If you need other advice about EU BPR (ie not in relation to Northern Ireland) please contact ECHA[69] or the relevant competent authority in the EU-27[70].

If you think your product might be exempt from GB BPR eg it may be a medicine, veterinary medicine, food-processing aid or a cosmetic, you should contact the appropriate authority responsible for that type of product[71]. Remember, if they tell you it is not a product they are responsible for (ie it is not a medicine etc) then it may still be a biocide and you may still have responsibilities under GB BPR.

Find out more about what is and isn't a biocidal product[72].

If you can't find the answer to your question about biocides on this site, then please contact us via one of the contact points below. In most cases you should receive a response within 10 working days. Find out more about our service standards[73].

UK Chemicals Helpline

A new Chemicals Helpline has been set up for UK businesses and stakeholders. The helpline will provide support with general enquiries relating to the end of the Transition Period and basic enquiries relating to the GB Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR).

If you are already familiar with BPR processes due to previously having had responsibilities under EU BPR, or if your query is specialised or technical in nature, please contact our existing email helpdesks in the first instance.

You can contact the UK Chemicals Helpline by:

Telephone: 0330 159 1985
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

COPR applications

For enquiries relating to applications under COPR, please email pa.copr@hse.gov.uk.

GB BPR applications

For enquiries relating to applications for active substances and biocidal products under GB BPR, please email gb.biocides@hse.gov.uk.

EU BPR applications in Northern Ireland

For enquiries relating to applications for biocidal products under EU BPR in Northern Ireland, please email ni.biocides@hse.gov.uk.

Other biocides enquiries

For any other enquiry about biocides, please email biocidesenquiries@hse.gov.uk.

Application forms

Please submit all application forms by email to biocidesapplications@hse.gov.uk.

Media enquiries

For all media enquiries, please contact HSE's Press Office[74].

COPR Annual Charge enquiries

For enquiries relating to the Annual Charge, please email annual.charge@hse.gov.uk

Postal address for COPR annual charge declarations

Please e-mail annual charge declarations to annual.charge@hse.gov.uk

Or post to

Divisional Support Team
Chemicals Regulation Division
Health and Safety Executive
Mallard House
Kings Pool
3 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 7PX

Requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI)

Find out about your right to request information held by HSE under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) and Data Protection Act (DPA) and how to make an information requests on HSE's FOI webpage[75].

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. Existing NI products: transfer to EU BPRhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/existing-products-northern-ireland.htm
  52. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/index.htm
  53. COPR approval: how to applyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/application.htm
  54. COPR product approval typeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/approvals.htm
  55. COPR approved productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/approved.htm
  56. COPR feeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/fees.htm
  57. COPR labellinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/labelguidance.htm
  58. Conditions of approvalhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/copr/conditions.htm
  59. Open invitations and notificationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/open-invitations-notifications.htm
  60. Consultations and surveyshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/consultations.htm
  61. Consultations: Submitting informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/consultations-submitting.htm
  62. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/information.htm
  63. Glossaryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/glossary.htm
  64. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/links.htm
  65. Contacthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/contact.htm
  66. Service standardshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/servicestandards.htm
  67. Temporary changes to GB biocides application processing timeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/temporary-changes-application-processing-time.htm
  68. sign up to our e-Bulletinhttps://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKHSE/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKHSE_11&email=&commit=Subscribe
  69. ECHAhttps://echa.europa.eu/contact
  70. relevant competent authority in the EU-27https://echa.europa.eu/support/helpdesks
  71. contact the appropriate authority responsible for that type of producthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/links.htm
  72. Find out more about what is and isn't a biocidal producthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/regulated/index.htm
  73. Find out more about our service standardshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/servicestandards.htm
  74. HSE's Press Officehttp://press.hse.gov.uk/contacts/
  75. HSE's FOI webpagehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

COPR
Control of Pesticides Regulations

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Updated 2025-03-12