Consultation on potential amendments to the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation 2026

This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on Persistent Organic Pollutants (recast), as amended by:

• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020/1358;
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2022/1293; 
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations 2023/729;
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2023/1217;
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations 2025/296;
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2025/297;
• The Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2025/605;

(known together as “the assimilated POPs Regulation”).

Responses to this consultation will be used to inform decisions on amendments to the assimilated POPs Regulation. A draft Statutory Instrument (SI) accompanies this consultation to show how we propose to amend the current assimilated POPs Regulation. This draft SI is available in the 'Related' section at the bottom of the Overview page for this consultation. Please refer to the SI when responding to the consultation.

We will consider all responses to this consultation that are submitted by the closing date of 13 May 2026. Please use this opportunity to share your views and identify any evidence and information that may help us determine the potential impacts of these proposals within the draft legislation and as detailed in this consultation document.

Some proposals in this consultation set out our provisional positions, which we will refine as part of consideration of any evidence submitted through this consultation. Other proposals seek to generate additional evidence to inform future policy development and proposals and to assess their suitability for achieving UK priorities.

It is worth noting that any upcoming or future legislative changes that we implement into the assimilated POPs Regulation will depend on multiple factors, including:

• Available evidence from a range of sources, including responses to this consultation but also other evidence acquired through additional research and engagement routes.
• The need to protect human health and the environment.
• The potential impacts on businesses, the voluntary sector and the public sector.
• Global context, including international conventions, guidelines, and decisions, such as those of the Stockholm Convention, as well as regulatory decisions made in other trusted jurisdictions.
• Scientific and technical progress.
• Other UK and Defra priorities and commitments, such as those set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025.

No single factor in isolation is likely to determine final legislative changes that we implement into the assimilated POPs Regulation.

Purpose of the consultation

The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on government proposals and policy options to amend the assimilated POPs Regulation in upcoming and future legislation. Most of these proposals relate to recent additions of new POPs to the list of prohibited substances under the Stockholm Convention. Although Parties to the Convention can opt out of such amendments, the UK has a long‑standing policy of implementing agreed international commitments on chemicals, and we are therefore consulting on how these new listings should be implemented in Great Britain (GB).

This consultation also provides an opportunity for respondents to share evidence regarding related amendments adopted or proposed by the EU, including their potential suitability for GB and any implications for the functioning of the UK internal market.

The primary focus of this consultation is to inform how these obligations should be implemented in GB, including the identification of appropriate specific use exemptions and unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limits.

We are also seeking evidence on recent or proposed amendments to the EU POPs Regulation, including their potential suitability for GB and any implications for the functioning of the UK internal market, particularly where different requirements may apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

Most of the consultation refers to proposals reflected in an accompanying draft statutory instrument (SI). These proposals relate to:

• Adding to Annex I of the assimilated POPs Regulation the 5 newest POPs substances agreed to be listed for global prohibition under the Stockholm Convention:

• Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs)
• Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs)
• UV-328
• Dechlorane Plus
• Chlorpyrifos

along with unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limits and specific use exemptions from the prohibition of these substances.

• Amending the existing PFOS entry in Annex I of the assimilated POPs Regulation to lower the unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limits and to remove an outdated reference.

Beyond those proposals included in the accompanying draft SI, we also provide opportunities for respondents to present evidence on potential implications of recent amendments to the EU POPs Regulation with respect to UTC limits for another group of POPs called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Finally, we also provide an opportunity to comment on the Stockholm Convention POPs Review Committee (POPRC) evaluation processes, evidence generation, and engagement regarding substances that are being considered as potential new POPs.