Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

PIC is the Prior Informed Consent procedure for international trade in hazardous chemicals.  The procedures were established to assist less developed countries to control inward trade in hazardous chemicals.  At international level, countries co-operate under the Rotterdam Convention.  At EU level, PIC is regulated by Regulation (EC) 649/2012.

The chemicals concerned under the international Rotterdam Convention are those that have been banned or severely restricted as pesticides or industrial chemicals, under national law in a number of states that are party to the Convention.  These chemicals are listed in an Annex to the Convention.

Under the EU PIC Regulation, a larger group of chemicals are subject to requirements.  These are listed in an Annex to the regulation (click here for a guide to the list).

Responsibility for PIC in Ireland is shared by DAFM & the HSA:

• The Pesticide Registration and Controls Divisions of DAFM are the Irish Designated National Authority (DNA) for pesticides.
• The Health & Safety Authority are the Irish Designated National Authority for industrial chemicals.

At EU level, PIC is the responsibility of DG Environment in the EU Commission, while day to day management of the PIC IT application (ePIC) is the responsibility of the European Chemicals Agency.

For further information on PIC:

See the Health & Safety Authority Information Sheet.

or email:

For pesticides                – PICPesticides@agriculture.gov.ie

For industrial chemicals – chemicals@hsa.ie