Animal Plant Health Agency
If there is an outbreak of a notifiable animal or zoonotic disease, only Defra approved disinfectants can be used for cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces like buildings, farm equipment, crates, and vehicles.
You are breaking the law if you market and sell as Defra approved a disinfectant that has not been tested and listed as approved.
To get your product approved by Defra it must:
- conform to the Biocidal Products Directive
- pass efficacy tests at a Defra approved laboratory
Legislation
This scheme is underpinned by the The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (England) Order 2007
The costs are set out in The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Fees and Amendment) (England) Order 2011
Before you apply
You need to decide which dilution of your product you want to have tested. Defra and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) cant advise you which formulation or dilution will pass the tests.
You must make sure your product meets the following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) standards:
- chemicals legislation such as Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures Regulation (CLP Regulation)
- General Products Safety Regulations (GPSR)
- advertising requirements in the Biocidal Products Regulations(BPR) 2001
You must also:
- inform the National Poisons Information Service
- check liability for the General Industry Charge
Apply for disinfectant approval testing
You must complete the DDA1 application form and post or email a signed copy to:
Defra Disinfectants Approvals Administration Office
Room SE175, Stewart Stockman Building
Animal and Plant Health Agency
New Haw
Addlestone
Surrey
KT15 3NB
Tel: 0208 026 9609
Email: disinfectant@apha.gov.uk
APHA will assess your application and decide if your product can be accepted for testing for Defra approval. They will let you know their decision within 5 working days.
Download details of the for more information.
Submit samples
If your product is accepted for testing you will be told where to send your samples and your purchase order for the tests you want.
See the application form for instructions on how to submit samples and packaging labels. You must not send any samples until APHA asks you to do so, or make a payment to APHA until you have received an invoice raised for your purchase order.
Approval testing fees
You must pay in advance for testing, but should wait until you know your product has been accepted for testing. You can pay by bank transfer, credit card or by cheque once APHA has sent you an invoice for your purchase order.
UK companies will have to pay VAT on the fees shown in the following table. Companies outside the UK do not have to pay VAT.
| Approval tests | Fees per test () |
|---|---|
| Foot and mouth disease | 1,920 |
| Swine vesicular disease | 1,920 |
| Diseases of poultry and the avian influenza and influenza of avian origin in mammals: | |
| - single dilution test | 1,040 |
| - triple dilution test | 1,400 |
| Tuberculosis: | |
| - single dilution test | 1,300 |
| - triple dilution test | 1,620 |
| General Orders: | |
| - single dilution test | 715 |
| - triple dilution test | 815 |
| Administrative charge | 1,000 |
You should receive the results within 12 weeks of submitting your samples. This may take longer due to urgent statutory work (eg responding to a disease outbreak).
Product approval
You will get a conditions of approval letter if your product passes the APHA tests.
This letter will include a text box with some wording specific to your disinfectant and you must add this to your label. Email disinfectant@apha.gov.uk for more information about this wording.
You need to sign and return the letter with a copy of your prepared label to Defra Disinfectants Approvals Administration at APHA before your product can be added to the list. Your product is usually listed within 5 working days of APHA receiving your signed letter.
You can only label, market and sell your product as Defra approved when it is on the approved list. You can find the complete list of Defra approved disinfectants on the approved disinfectants list.
Approval lasts for 2 years. There is a renewal procedure and conditions to extend approval. There is no fee and you may not need to submit samples but APHA will ask you to provide some information.
Application for Defra approval of a Tradename of an already approved disinfectant
The manufacturer of a Defra Approved disinfectant that is currently on the approved disinfectants list can sell their product to other companies who wish to rename and sell it as their own and with the same Defra Approval.
For this to be legally sold with the same Defra Approval as the already approved product, the proposed new tradename must first be added to the list by APHA. Samples of the disinfectant under the proposed new name are usually not required for APHA to test, but there is an administrative fee for processing the application and listing the additional product name as Defra approved.
The manufacturer of the already approved product must complete the DDA1 application form, following the guidance notes on which sections of the form to fill out.
Email the completed form to disinfectant@apha.gov.uk.
APHA will email an invoice to the applicant once the DDA1 application form has been assessed and the new tradename can be accepted. There is no fee for assessing applications that are subsequently declined (for example, if there is already a disinfectant under the same name on the list).
Application for a Trade Certificate in the name of a Defra Approved disinfectant
The importing authorities in some non-EU countries requir