Check if your business needs to register its pesticides activities

Businesses which deal in pesticides need to register their details and business activities by 31 March 2022

If the work of your business involves plant protection products (pesticides), you must comply with the Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.

This includes registering your details and business activities the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Who needs to register

You must register by 31 March 2022 if:

• your business is located in Northern Ireland
• your business produces, manufactures, processes, imports, distributes, sells, or otherwise places pesticides for professional use or their ingredients and adjuvants on the market

Who does not need to register

You do not need to register if:

• you are involved in the supply chain of amateur use (home garden) pesticides only - but you will need to follow a similar process in future
• you are a professional user of pesticides such as a farmer, amenity contractor or if you spray pesticides at your workplace - but you will need to follow a similar process in future
• you use pesticides, but not as part of your work, eg in your garden at your home
• your business is located in GB - but you must register with Defra for inclusion onto the GB Official Controls Regulation 2020 register of operators

How to register

Find out more about the registration process, read the additional guidance and register online.

If your business is required to register, the deadline is 31 March 2022. If you start carrying out any of these activities after 31 March 2022 you must register within three months of commencing your business.

First published 14 March 2022