EU Biocide Developments – An Irish Perspective

EU Biocide Developments – An Irish Perspective

At the recent Dublin Biocides Symposium presented by Kerona Scientific,  Dr Mervyn Parr, Risk Manager at the Pesticide Registration and Control Division (PRCD) in Ireland, provided insightful information about the EU biocides regulation from an Irish perspective. The slides of this presentation are available for download from the Kerona Scientific website at the following link: https://kerona.ie/product/dublin-biocides-symposium-2022-prcd-presentations/

Mervyn discussed various topics surrounding active substances and biocidal products including challenges, enforcement, and future prospects. The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) 528/2012) is an integral part of Irish law, ensuring a high level of safety for humans and the environment while harmonizing the market at union level. However, around 55% of active substances still need to be reviewed, leading to an expected extension of the review program.

In Ireland, the biocidal product registration fee ranges from €300 to upwards of €20,000, depending on the context and the data package submitted. The full data package for product authorisations requires more detailed information than the limited data package for a national notification under transitional measures. The Irish Ministry has gained valuable insights from previous biocidal product applications, identifying challenges such as incomplete dossiers, poorly compiled studies, and product claims that require more thorough evaluation.

Mutual recognition applications also face various obstacles such as harmonization, timelines, and regulatory regime issues. Other difficulties include risk management, the wide scope in usage patterns, borderline cases and applications for treated articles. Notified biocidal products in Ireland have a PCS number, supporting the active substance/PT combination under EU review for existing biocidal active substances.

If you missed the symposium and would like to obtain a copy of all the speakers’ presentations, they can be purchased here: https://kerona.ie/product/dublin-biocides-symposium-2021-speakers-presentations/

Please get in touch with the experts in Kerona’s biocide team if you need support with your biocide registrations in Ireland, GB and Europe at info@kerona.ie or call our office at +353 (0)1 849 5284