Biocides: Find the right enforcement authority

Incident or concern Occurred in Report to
People – where someone has carried out a biocidal treatment in your home as part of their work, for example, a professional pest controller Great Britain

HSE

Northern Ireland

HSENI

People – where someone has carried out a biocidal treatment in your home not as part of their work, for example, yourself or another member of the general public Great Britain

Your local authority

Northern Ireland

Your district council

People – other than the scenarios described above Great Britain Depends on the type of place involved
Northern Ireland Depends on the type of place involved
Animals, including wildlife, livestock and pets/companion animals United Kingdom

Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme

Telephone:
0800 321 600

The environment England

Environment Agency

Telephone:
0800 80 70 60

Wales

Natural Resources Wales

Telephone:
0300 065 3000

 Scotland

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Telephone:
03000 99 66 99

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
Telephone:
0300 200 7856

Rail networks United Kingdom

Office of Rail and Road

Authorisation or approval
concern that a product does not have the necessary authorisation or approval for example
Great Britain

HSE

Northern Ireland

HSENI

Trade-to-trade sale
wholesale supply
Great Britain

HSE

Northern Ireland

HSENI

Retail sale, including online and in physical stores Great Britain

Your local Trading Standards office

Northern Ireland

Consumerline

Advertisement
online, newspapers/magazines etc
Great Britain

Your local trading standards

Northern Ireland

Consumerline

If you're still not sure which authority you should report to, don't worry! All of the authorities work together, so we will make sure your report gets to the right place.

Other ways the authorities work together include:

  • sharing information, for example HSE can provide other authorities with:
    • advice on the GB Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR), EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR) and the Control of Pesticides Regulation (COPR), and on how individual products are affected by it
    • details of the approval/authorisation status of individual products and the conditions placed on them
    • copies of the approval/authorisation documents
  • supporting prosecutions, for example, by providing witness statements

Enforcement laws

The responsibilities of the different authorities described in the table above come from general health and safety law working in combination with more specific enforcement laws for COPR, GB BPR and EU BPR.

General health and safety law

GB BPR specific law

The following laws amend the BPC Regs to enable them to operate effectively as part of GB BPR:

EU BPR specific law

Biocidal Products and Chemicals (Appointment of Authorities and Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013

COPR specific law

These laws also define a number of offences and the powers that the authorities may use. Find out more about offences and powers.

Schemes and activities

HSE also runs a number of schemes and activities focussed on the effects of the use of biocidal products in particular areas.

Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS)

The Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) investigates the death and illness of wildlife, livestock, pets (usually cats and dogs) and beneficial invertebrates (usually honey bees, bumble bees and earthworms) that are suspected to be caused by poisoning from biocides (or pesticides).

WIIS is primarily a monitoring tool that provides additional information to HSE, which may prompt the reassessment of authorised products to prevent further incidents. However, enforcement action may also be taken where there is clear evidence of a breach of the law.

Find out more about WIIS.

Adverse effects reporting

Action for approval/authorisation holders

COPR, GB BPR and EU BPR require product approval and authorisation holders to report new information about products and active substances that may affect their approval or authorisation. You should report to HSE without delay if you become aware of:

  • any data or information concerning the adverse effects of an active substance or biocidal product on:
    • people – particularly vulnerable groups
    • animals
    • the environment
  • any data or information that might indicate an active substance is contributing to the development of resistance in pest populations
  • any data or information that might indicate a biocidal product is not sufficiently effective

You should include as much information as possible in your reports, including:

  • product name
  • COPR HSE number, or GB BPR or EU BPR authorisation number
  • type of incident (approved use, accident or misuse)
  • who or what was affected (person, animal (including type and species) or the environment)
  • when, where and how the exposure happened
  • symptoms reported
  • treatment details
  • long-term effects
  • any advice issued

The information reported to HSE may prompt the reassessment of authorised products to prevent further incidents. However, enforcement action may also be taken where there is clear evidence of a breach of the law.

To ensure that HSE is receiving this information, we conduct an annual survey where approval/authorisation holders are required to tell us about any information they have received concerning the adverse effects described above.

Please note: this does not mean you should wait for us to write to you! If you have received information concerning adverse effects, you must tell us without delay.

The results of the survey are compiled into an anonymous report – approval/authorisation holders and products will not be identified. For the latest report, or reports from previous years, please contact us.

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Updated 2024-02-09