One of the major concerns about a no-deal Brexit within the chemicals industry is that chemical regulation would be thrown into disarray in the UK if it is no longer part of the EU REACH system with no viable alternative in place.
EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) is how all chemical companies in the EU are currently regulated. The Chemical Engineer recently reported that the government has now published additional guidance on how the UK will cope with exiting REACH should we leave the EU with no deal in place.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has now issued guidance that follows on from that published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in September, stating that the UK would replicate REACH and that the HSE would manage it.
If this is the outcome, then companies would need to independently register their chemicals with both EU REACH and UK REACH, essentially paying fees twice. However, in doing so they would continue to have access to both markets.
Fears over a no-deal Brexit were heightened when prime minister Theresa May faced a vote of no confidence from her party this week. Although she won, one-third of the parliamentary Tory party voted against her.
In the wake of this further uncertainty, the Chemicals Industry Association has reiterated its support for the deal put forward by Mrs May and called for those in the sector to remain calm, despite the delay to the key vote on the proposals in the House of Commons.
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