Biocide Working Group (WG)

BIOCIDE-WG

The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) 528/2012) concerns the placing on the market and use of biocidal products and repeals the Directive 98/8/EC.

BPR It is gradually substituting the national registrations, as consquence of the revision of the Actives which moves from the Annex II (Actives under revision) to the Annex I (Actives approved).

Why the BPR affects our work?

• Reduced availability of Actives and products (risk of resistance).
• Restrictions of use.

A new Biocidal product becomes available on the market when has been registered.

The process to register a Biocidal Product is very complex and expensive, both in terms of money, time and energy, involves several aspects and requires many different expertizes. Even if the BPR is changing drammatically the pest and vector control, most of the operators are not awared of this and of the its consequences actual and future.

Of the several product types PT18 and PT19 are the interesting ones for who is involved in control. To register products efficacy evaluation is request and the procedure for the efficacy evaluation are described on the “Guidance on the Biocidal Products Regulation - Volume II: efficacy – Parts B+C: Assessment and Evaluation”. Because of the several products, targets and ways use of biocidal products, the ECHA guidelines cannot include all the possible situations. Unfortunely several NA do not have the expertize to judge protocols and this cause often problems because they ask to do the test in a way which is described in the guidelines even if it is not respecting the way of use of the product. In other situations the ECHA guideline refers to other guidelines which have been written for different purpose or are obsolete, requiring to respecy procedure not realistic.

Who is the Biocide WG made up for?

Entomologists, operators, industry, consultants, from Universities, public research institutions and private sector.

Purposes of the Biocide WG

• To get informed of the BPR themselves, acrossing different expertizes.
• To propose to ECHA integrations to the Guidelines to fill the gaps.
• To propose amendment to the ECHA guidelines, especially for the PT18
• To propose modification to other guidelines which ECHA refers to.
• To offer opinions to the National Authorities about the interpretation of the Guidelines and the scientific solidity of efficacy test procedure.

Chairman: Andrea Drago, Board member, Italy