In November 2023 the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) published a revision of the Biocidal Products Ordinance. The revision implements changes to the Chemicals Act (ChemG), which has been adapted to reduce the risks from the use of pesticides. The revised ordinance will enter into force on 1 January 2024.

Obligation to report the quantities of biocidal products

The revision of the Biocidal Products Regulation introduces a new obligation to report annually on the quantities of biocidal products placed on the market. This will allow better tracking of sales volumes. This reporting obligation must be fulfilled by the person who first places a biocidal product on the market in Switzerland. This mainly concerns authorisation holders, manufacturers, and Swiss importers. Dealers, direct sales points, professional and commercial users are not affected.

The first report for data from 2024 must be submitted by 31 May 2025 and thereafter by 31 May each year.

Introduction of Indicators

Indicators based on measurements in aquatic environments have been established to assist in the assessment and mitigation of risks associated with biocidal products. If the values specified in the Water Protection Ordinance are consistently exceeded, authorisations for biocidal products may be altered or revoked if necessary.

The Federal Office of Public Health, Switzerland, on 28 June 2022 published a draft amendment of Annexes 2, 3, 4, and 7 of the Ordinance on Protection against Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Chemicals Ordinance).

Annex 2 is the technical regulations for the classification, labelling and packaging of substances. It will be updated and adapted to technical progress in the EU from November 23, 2023. The draft revises the list of harmonized classifications and updates it to include 39 substances, amends 17 existing entries and one existing entry was split into two. Also, the newest developments in test methods for substances and preparations (OECD) are adopted in this draft revision.

For Annex 3, four substances are added to the candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). The requirements in Annex 4 (technical dossier for notifications) are updated based on the specifications for registrations in the EU. And three entries are eliminated from Annex 7, the list of new substances for which notification is not required.

With these revisions, the agency aims to protect human health and the environment and reduce trade barriers to enhance trade in Switzerland. The last day for comments is July 15, 2022, and the proposed date of adoption is July 29, 2022. The changes are expected to come into force on September 1, 2022.