Is your business involved in placing plant protection products (pesticides) on the market?

If you have a business with premises in Northern Ireland that is involved in placing on the market plant protection products (pesticides) for professional and/or amateur use, you must comply with the Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.

This includes registering your details and business activities with the Competent Authority. This authority in Northern Ireland is the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Who needs to register

If your business is involved in the supply chain of pesticides authorised for amateur (home garden) use, you must register with the Department by 31 December 2022.

The registration deadline has passed for any business which produces, manufactures, processes, imports, distributes, sells, or otherwise places pesticides for professional use or their ingredients and adjuvants on the market. If you have not yet registered, you must register as soon as possible.

If you are a professional user of pesticides such as a farmer, amenity contractor or if you spray pesticides at your workplace, you will need to follow a similar process in the coming weeks.

Who does not need to register

You do not need to register:

• If you use pesticides as part of your gardening hobby.
• your business is located in Great Britain, but you must register with DEFRA for inclusion onto the GB Official Controls Regulation 2020 register of operators. Further information is available from the GOV.UK website.

How to register

The Department has launched the online registration process on the DAERA website.

Apply online and read the additional guidance.

Notes to editors: 

1. Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
2. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office: pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk

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