About us

The Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), on behalf of the UK Government, implements European and National permissioning schemes for biocides, pesticides and plant protection products as well as providing the Competent Authority (CA) for REACH and Prior Informed Consent (PIC). These permissioning schemes are in place to ensure that potential risks to people and the environment from these substances are properly controlled.

This section of the HSE website focuses on CRD role in relation to biocides and non-agricultural pesticides products.

We are the UK Competent Authority (CA) for the EU Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) (98/8/EC). Each EU Member State is responsible for implementing the Directive into their national legislation. In UK law this is through the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 (BPR) and the Biocidal Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001. The BPR is made under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA).

What we do under BPD/BPR

Under the BPD/R our current activities include:

• evaluating applications for inclusion of active substances on Annex I of the BPD;
• making recommendations to, and representing the UK at, the Commission of the European Communities (CEC's), Standing Committee on Biocides (SCB) as well as examining recommendations made by other EU Member States;
• developing procedures for the EU for future activities.

Under the BPD/R our future activities will include:

• evaluating applications for authorisation and registration of biocidal products;
• providing information to the CEC on biocidal products that HSE authorise or register under the Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR);
• monitoring the use of biocidal products.

Published evaluation documents for pesticides that have been reviewed are available online.

For further information on how we operate the biocides permissioning scheme go to our BPD/R homepage. For further information on activities in Europe relating to Biocides go to our Europe webpage.

We also operate the current UK National permissioning scheme for non-agricultural pesticides under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (as amended 1997) (COPR), which is made under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA).

What we do under COPR

Under the COPR our current activities include:

• critically assessing data provided by companies in support of applications for approval of non-agricultural pesticides;
• providing technical policy advice in HSE and other government departments;
• reviewing older non-agricultural pesticides.

Published evaluation documents for pesticides that have been reviewed are available from the Pesticides Safety Directorate web pages.

For further information on how we operate the non-agricultural pesticides permissioning scheme go to our COPR homepage.

HSE also provide information on non-agricultural pesticides and biocides to the public and industry and to Local Authorities who carry out enforcement and investigation activities.