New law will push biocide approval deadline back five years sparking regulatory concerns

A new law is set to extend the timeframe for processing biocidal product applications by five years, prompting concerns that substances restricted in the EU may get “dumped” on the UK, where chemical regulation is “not up to speed”.
The Biocidal Products (Health and Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 is expected to come into force by 31 December. The act was put before parliament in October by then work and pensions minister Claire Coutinho. It would see an extension to the evaluation of product applications under the GB BPR until December 2027. The EU list of biocidal active substance suppliers has been delayed in being published in England, Wales and Scotland. The delay is due to a "large number of resubmissions received", the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said. This could result in supply chain disruptions.