UK plant protection product controls: HSE 2025 findings

HSE’s 2025 plant protection product controls: recurring compliance issues

Published in August 2026, the Health and Safety Executive’s 2025 Article 68 report sets out the official controls carried out on plant protection products (PPPs) across the UK.

It covers inspections and enforcement, product composition, pesticide residues in food, wildlife incidents and human health monitoring.

For businesses manufacturing, supplying, storing or using PPPs, the report shows where targeted controls are identifying recurring compliance issues.

 

617 official controls in Great Britain

HSE pesticide enforcement officers carried out 617 official controls in 2025. These included 518 site visits and formulation analysis of 99 PPP products.

Of the 518 visits:

  • 161 resulted in verbal advice;
  • 314 resulted in a formal letter;
  • 28 resulted in an enforcement notice; and
  • 15 required no action.

HSE uses a risk-based inspection programme, taking account of factors such as the nature and scale of a business, previous compliance, the quantity of PPPs used and the results of earlier inspections.

The findings therefore do not represent the overall compliance rate of the GB PPP sector. They show the issues identified within businesses selected for targeted inspection.

 

Unauthorised PPPs and storage were the most frequent issues

The most frequently recorded issues in formal letters concerned unauthorised products and storage.

HSE records up to the three highest-ranked issues in each formal letter. Across those records:

  • storage or use of an unauthorised PPP appeared 283 times;
  • unsuitable storage appeared 213 times; and
  • wider handling and storage issues appeared 135 times.

These figures record the frequency of issues within formal letters, not the number of individual businesses affected.

Other findings included incomplete PPP use records, failure to register activities involving pesticides, gaps in competency and training certification, and overdue equipment inspections.

Of the 28 enforcement notices served, 19 concerned storage or use of unauthorised PPPs.

HSE states that formal letters were used where breaches were more serious, repeated or indicated systemic shortcomings. Notices were mainly associated with higher-risk breaches involving unauthorised use, storage and weak management controls.

 

Authorisation and supply issues also featured in reactive investigations

HSE carried out 91 reactive investigations in 2025.

Sixty-eight concerned the sale, supply, advertising or authorisation of PPPs.

Of 66 authorisation and supply cases, 41 involved products without an authorisation in place. Three involved products offered for sale after their authorisation had been withdrawn.

Some cases concerned products advertised or sold online.

Enforcement action included advice, formal correspondence, removal of products from sale and an enforcement notice. Five cases remained open into 2026.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers should therefore maintain controls over authorisation status, withdrawn products, marketing claims and online listings.

 

Formulation testing identified specification failures

HSE’s 2025 formulation survey examined 99 products containing 10 selected active substances.

Six products did not meet the relevant FAO specification for active-substance content.

Among the products assessed for other characteristics:

  • five of 37 were out of specification for a co-formulant;
  • one of 99 was out of specification for physical or chemical properties;
  • no products contained an impurity above the specified limit; and
  • no missing or illegible batch numbers or inadequate labelling were identified.

HSE is following up with authorisation holders and manufacturers where specification issues were identified. The report states that failure to address non-compliance may result in removal of an authorisation.

 

97.66% of food samples complied with MRLs

HSE analysed 3,550 food samples covering 31 commodities in 2025.

Of these:

  • 1,583 contained none of the residues sought;
  • 1,884 contained residues at or below the maximum residue level (MRL); and
  • 83, or 2.34%, contained residues above an MRL.

Overall, 97.66% complied with the relevant statutory MRLs.

An MRL exceedance does not in itself establish a consumer health risk. HSE assesses detected residues separately for potential health impacts.

In 2025, HSE carried out 41 detailed short-term risk assessments. Nine led to follow-up by the Food Standards Agency.

 

Areas for compliance review

The inspection findings point to several areas that businesses may need to review:

  • authorisation status of PPPs in storage, supply or use;
  • procedures for identifying withdrawn or expired products;
  • storage and containment arrangements;
  • pesticide use records;
  • staff training and certification;
  • equipment inspection requirements;
  • registration obligations; and
  • online product descriptions and marketing claims.

Northern Ireland did not have an equivalent proactive official controls dataset for 2025 because DAERA’s dedicated PPP inspection programme was still being developed.

The report therefore provides evidence on recurring issues identified through targeted controls, rather than a complete measure of compliance across the UK PPP market.

RPA supports organisations with plant protection product regulatory analysis and wider chemicals and product regulation issues. We can help businesses assess the implications of regulatory findings and review the evidence relevant to their compliance and market-access decisions.