Supplying pesticides and biocides
If you supply pesticides or biocides you must check that the pesticides or biocides you sell have been approved in the UK and that your products are labelled correctly. You may need to provide a safety data sheet (SDS) for your customers.
Apply to place pesticides and biocides on the market
Before you place a new pesticide or biocide product on the market, you must check whether it needs to be approved for advertisement, sale, supply, storage and use. If it does, you must gain approval for that product before you market it. You must apply to the relevant registration authority and supply them with all the data and information they need to evaluate your product. See the page in this guideline: Getting approval for pesticides and biocides
Once an approved product is on sale you should monitor it. If you find out about adverse effects of the pesticide or biocide on human health or the environment, you must tell the registration authority as soon as possible. You should also tell them about any unwanted effects on what is being treated.
If you place a biocidal product on the market for the first time, you must provide certain information to the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS).
NPIS: What the Biocidal Products Regulations mean
Provide information for customers
If you market or sell pesticides or biocides you must ensure that all packaging, labelling and advertising meets the requirements in the product's authorisation. In some cases, it must also meet the requirements of the Chemical Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulations.
If you supply pesticides or biocides you may need to use a hazard warning label or provide an SDS. This is now a requirement of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation.
If you sell, supply or store to sell plant protection products, you should follow the 'Code of Practice for Suppliers of Pesticides to Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry' (the Yellow Code). This statutory code of practice covers storage, training requirements, transport, waste disposal and how to deal with spills.
HSE Chemicals regulation Directorate: The Yellow Code
Ensure sales staff and storekeepers are qualified
If you sell or supply plant protection products, you need to have a certificate of competence for sales or sales storekeeping. BASIS is an organisation set up to establish and assess standards in the pesticides industry.
The Yellow Code will also tell you who needs a certificate of competence for the job they do.
Ensure your staff keep their training up-to-date.
Check that the purchaser has an appropriate certificate of competence for pesticides
In Scotland it is a requirement for anyone selling plant protection products to make sure that the person who will be using the product has the appropriate certificate.
In Northern Ireland see section 2, Training and certification in the code of practice..
DAERA: Code of Practice for using plant protection products