The Great Britain roster of approved biocidal active substance suppliers is set to lose a staggering 2,700 entries.
Britain has expressed deep concerns over foreign suppliers’ waning interest in the British market that will cause a lack of approved biocidal active substance suppliers.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning that hundreds of companies are on the brink of losing their status as approved biocidal active substance suppliers for the British market.
For the time being, HSE has advised downstream users and formulators to swiftly switch suppliers, if necessary, to avoid disruptions in their chemical product supply chains.
The GB’s Biocidal Products Regulation (GB BPR) mandates that any company seeking to supply a biocidal active substance, for a specific use, to the UK market must apply for inclusion in the Article 95 list of approved biocidal substance suppliers.
The Article 95 list was excluded from the EU BPR when the UK implemented its own version of the law. Companies were given a grace period to apply to retain their approved status on the GB BPR list. To remain on the list, companies had to:
- Confirm they are established in the UK; or
- Resubmit their data dossier or a letter of access to a relevant data dossier.
Many suppliers have opted out of seeking access to the UK market. As a result, over 2,700 combinations of supplier, substance, and product type are now scheduled for removal from the list, as announced by the HSE on September 3rd.
These entries affect 114 individual substances from 630 suppliers. The majority of entries to be removed from the list (over 2,300) relate to disinfectants. The remaining entries include:
- 332 for preservatives;
- 27 for embalming fluids and taxidermist products;
- 26 for insecticides;
- 15 for repellents and attractants;
- 8 for antifouling products;
- 4 for rodenticides; and
- 1 for an avicide.
Deadline: March 2025
On March 3, 2025, the HSE must update the Article 95 list. From this date, GB companies will no longer be able to legally obtain their substances from a supplier excluded from the list. Instead, they will need to switch suppliers or apply for inclusion on the Article 95 list themselves.
The HSE has indicated that it will consider granting a 180-day grace period to make biocidal products available on the market.
Companies that do not apply to remain on the list may avail themselves of an extended deadline to notify the HSE of their intention to submit their application before November 1, 2024, the Executive said.
Looking ahead
The British Coatings Federation (BCF) described the high number of supplier companies that have decided not to seek access to the UK market as «potentially concerning.»
«We continue to work with members to determine how this will impact the coatings sector,» said BCF CEO Tom Bowtell.
Concerns over UK REACH
The BCF also sees the news as a sign of what is to come for UK REACH. «Since Brexit, we have consistently urged the government that the UK market is only one-tenth the size of the EU’s and that new national processes must be as simple and affordable as possible if foreign suppliers are going to pay to access them,» said Bowtell.
«The alternative is that substances are lost to the UK altogether or that domestic user companies have to pay more to register.»
Need more information about the GB BPR for marketing biocides in Great Britain? Nordiik can help, contact us!
Source: Enhesa
