Growers are being warned not to fall foul of the recently introduced REACH regulations, and are being urged to check the provenance of any finished products that may contain hazardous chemicals.

That warning came from the NFU this week, which has outlined steps that growers should take to avoid problems later down the line.

Although REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) primarily covers ‘raw chemicals’ and not finished products, the regulations will apply if growers produce or import finished products which contain a high volume of a substance directly from outside the EU. This applies where the substance is intended to be released under ‘normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use,’ explains NFU horticultural adviser Chris Hartfield.

Fertilisers and agrochemicals do not come under the regulations as they are covered elsewhere by other regulations, but REACH was created to regulate all other chemicals.

One example cited by Hartfield is the plastics used in the plant pots and label growers supply to retailers. Plastic containers are made from monomers which combine during the manufacturing process into polymers and are therefore not hazardous.

However, plasticisers and stabilisers are also added during manufacture and they can leach out during the life of the pot with the consequence that users can be exposed to these hazardous chemicals.

If supplies come from the EU then responsibility goes back down the chain and falls on the supplier, but if supplies are obtained from outside the EU directly then the responsibility of conformance with the regulations falls on the grower-importer, Hartfield warned.

The union has advised growers that if they source their pots and labels from within the EU then they should contact their suppliers and gain assurance that they conform to REACH requirements.

If they are sourced from outside the EU then it may be necessary to obtain information from suppliers about the chemical makeup of the items, with responsibility for their registration falling on the grower.

Hartfield has called on any growers to whom this situation might apply to contact him as soon as possible on chris.hartfield@nfu.org.uk.