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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2026 No. 195
CONSUMER PROTECTION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Made - - - - 2nd March 2026
Laid before Parliament 3rd March 2026
Coming into force - - 1st April 2026
The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 68(1),
73(2) and 132A of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council
concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)(1)
(“the REACH Regulation”).
In making these Regulations the Secretary of State has taken into account the socio-economic
impact of the restrictions they make provision for, including the availability of alternatives.
The Secretary of State published a proposed draft amendment further to the conditions laid down
in Article 68(1) of the REACH Regulation having been fulfilled, having asked the Health and Safety
Executive to prepare a dossier pursuant to Article 69(1) of that Regulation(2).
The Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers have consented to—
(a) the decision whether to propose a draft amendment,
(b) the proposed draft amendment, and
(c) the making of these Regulations,
in accordance with Articles 4A and 73(1) and (2) of the REACH Regulation.
Citation, commencement, extent and application
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and
come into force on 1st April 2026.
(2) These Regulations extend to the United Kingdom and apply in relation to England, Wales
and Scotland.
(1) EUR 2006/1907, amended by S.I. 2019/758; there are other amending instruments but none is relevant.
(2) For the meaning of “the Agency” and “appropriate authority” see Articles 2A and 3(A2) of EUR 2006/1907 respectively.Document Generated: 2026-04-01
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Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
2.—(1) Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning
the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is amended as
follows.
(2) In Annex 17 (restrictions on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of certain
dangerous substances, mixtures and articles), after paragraph 1, in the table, in entry 63 (lead and
its compounds), at the end of the second column insert—
“11. Must not be used at an outdoor shooting range after 1 April 2028 in a concentration equal
to or greater than 3% by weight in projectiles other than shot (“other projectiles”).
12. In cases other than those falling within paragraph 11, must not be used or placed on the market
after 1 April 2029—
(a) in a concentration equal to or greater than 1% by weight in shot;
(b) in a concentration equal to or greater than 3% by weight in other projectiles.
13. Paragraph 11 does not apply to other projectiles used at an outdoor shooting range where—
(a) action has been taken at the outdoor shooting range to reduce the risks so far as is
reasonably practicable to ruminants and grazing wildlife, soil and water arising from this
use;
(b) documentation is maintained at the outdoor shooting range regarding the action in
subparagraph (a), making this available to the relevant enforcing authority upon request;
(c) a submission has been made to the relevant enforcing authority in respect of the outdoor
shooting range at least once in the previous three years setting out the following
information—
(i)the name, address, and Ordnance Survey grid reference of the outdoor shooting
range;
(ii)the name and contact details of the person responsible for safety at the outdoor
shooting range; and
(iii)a declaration confirming that action has been taken in accordance with
subparagraph (a); and
(d) upon any change to information submitted under subparagraph (c), a further submission
has been made to the relevant enforcing authority on behalf of the outdoor shooting range
with the updated information.
14. The relevant enforcing authority must establish, publish and maintain a list of sites who have
submitted the information in paragraph 13(c) or (d).
15. Paragraphs 11 and 12(b) do not apply to other projectiles which are used in, or placed on the
market for use in, an air weapon as defined in section 57(4) of the Firearms Act 1968(3).
16. Paragraph 12(a) does not apply to lead shot used by, or placed on the market for use by, elite
athletes.
17. An elite athlete is a person who holds a current notification under paragraph 18 and who—
(a) has been selected by a National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee to
compete at a future Olympic or Paralympic Games in an Olympic or Paralympic discipline
which uses lead shot; or
(b) in a case where the selection process has not yet taken place for the relevant Olympic or
Paralympic Games—
(3) 1968 c. 27.
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(i)is training and has made adequate financial provision to be able to compete; and
(ii)has achieved gold, silver or bronze medal success at an Olympic or Paralympic
discipline which uses lead shot, at a national or international competition.
18. A person intending to use lead shot in accordance with paragraph 16 must notify the Agency,
or make arrangements for the Agency to be notified on their behalf, every 12 months beginning with
the day of notification with the following information—
(a) the person’s full name, address, certificate number and certificate issuing body;
(b) evidence that they satisfy the requirements of paragraph 17(a) or (b); and
(c) the number of cartridges containing lead shot they expect to use for the period of 12 months
from the date of notification to the Agency.
19. An elite athlete must notify the Agency, or make arrangements for the Agency to be notified
on their behalf, as soon as possible if any of the information notified under paragraph 18 changes
within 12 months of the previous notification.
20. The Agency must issue an acknowledgement of receipt of the information notified under
paragraphs 18 or 19, which specifies the date on which the notification ceases to have effect.
21. The Agency must establish and maintain a record of the information in notifications made
in accordance with paragraphs 18 or 19.
22. Where lead shot is placed on the market for an elite athlete, for each supply, the supplier
must—
(a) keep a record of the full name, address, certificate number and certificate issuing body of
the person to whom supply is made;
(b) keep a record of the number of cartridges containing lead shot supplied; and
(c) every 12 months, or on a change of any of the information, whichever happens sooner,
provide the information in paragraphs 22(a) and 22(b) to the Agency, per person to whom
supply is made.
23. Paragraph 12(b) does not apply to other projectiles which are—
(a) a calibre of less than 6.17 millimetres and used in, or placed on the market for use in, live
quarry shooting, including related zeroing;
(b) used in, or placed on the market for use in, indoor target shooting; or
(c) placed on the market for use at an outdoor shooting range.
24. After 1 April 2029, and without prejudice to the application of other legislation relating to
the classification, packaging and labelling of substances and mixtures, suppliers must ensure before
placing on the market other projectiles containing lead and its compounds in a concentration equal
to or greater than 3% by weight that are a calibre of more than or equal to 6.17 millimetres that the
packaging is labelled “Must not be used for live quarry shooting” and the label must be—
(a) indelible;
(b) visible on the packaging at the point of sale, and on the product page for online sales; and
(c) visibly distinct from the rest of the information included on the packaging.
25. Paragraphs 11 to 24 do not apply to projectiles used by, or placed on the market for use by,
persons whose certificate conditions specify that the projectiles are not to be fired.
26. Paragraphs 11 to 24 do not apply to the following—
(a) police purposes;
(b) government security service purposes;
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(c) Border Force purposes;
(d) military purposes;
(e) private maritime security company purposes;
(f) technical testing, proofing and development of firearms, ammunition and other products
by their manufacturers or contracted test houses for those manufacturers;
(g) forensic analysis;
(h) historical and other technical research by academic institutions;
(i) museum collections that are licensed under the Schedule to the Firearms (Amendment)
Act 1988(4).
27. For the purposes of paragraphs 11 to 26 and this paragraph—
“calibre” means the measurement of the interior (also known as “the bore”) of a firearm’s
barrel and the diameter of projectile used;
“certificate” has the same meaning as in section 57(4) of the Firearms Act 1968;
“elite athlete” has the meaning given in paragraph 17;
“enforcing authority” has the same meaning as in regulation 2(2) of the REACH Enforcement
Regulations 2008(5);
“firearm” has the same meaning as in section 57(1) of the Firearms Act 1968(6);
“indoor target shooting” means target shooting that is fully contained inside a building or
permanent structure (but not a temporary structure), in an area that is enclosed by a roof, floor
and walls so that there are no emissions beyond that building or structure;
“lead shot” means shot containing lead and its compounds in a concentration equal to or greater
than 1% by weight;
“live quarry shooting” means shooting at a living animal target with a firearm;
“National Olympic Committee” means a committee recognised as such by the International
Olympic Committee;
“National Paralympic Committee” means a committee recognised as such by the International
Paralympic Committee;
“other projectiles” has the meaning given in paragraph 11;
“outdoor shooting range” means a permanent site where target shooting that is not indoor target
shooting occurs;
“private maritime security company” means a company providing security services at sea;
“projectile” means an object intended to be expelled from a firearm, irrespective of the means
of propulsion;
“shot” means a projectile in the form of pellets;
“target shooting” means shooting at any non-living target with a firearm;
“zeroing” means the process by which a firearm’s sights are aligned such that at a given
distance the point of aim and the point of the projectile’s impact are the same.”.
(4) 1988 c. 45; the Schedule was amended by the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 (c. 5), section 52(1), Schedule 2 paragraph
19, section 47(a) and (b) and the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3) sections 132(3) and (4), 183(1) and (5)(e).
(5) S.I. 2008/2852, amended by S.I. 2013/755 (W. 90), S.I. 2013/2919, S.I. 2014/469, and S.I. 2015/1682; there are other amending
instruments but none is relevant.
(6) Section 57(1) was amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), sections 125(2), 183(1) and (5)(e).
4Document Generated: 2026-04-01
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Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Department for Environment, Food and Rural
2nd March 2026 Affairs
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EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend Annex 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration,
Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) (EUR 2006/1907, “UK
REACH”), to include the draft amendment proposed in the decision of the Secretary of State made
on 25th June 2025 in accordance with Article 73(1) of UK REACH (“the amendment”). The
amendment adds further restrictions on the use and placing on the market of lead and its compounds
in entry 63 of the table in Annex 17 of UK REACH, and specifically relates to the presence of lead
and its compounds in objects intended to be expelled from a firearm (“projectiles”).
Paragraphs 11 and 12 of the amendment place restrictions on the use and placing on the market of
lead in shot (projectiles in the form of pellets) and of lead in projectiles other than shot in specified
concentration limits, and the date from which the restrictions will apply.
Paragraph 13 of the amendment makes derogations from the restrictions for projectiles other than
shot where they are used at certain outdoor shooting ranges, and paragraph 14 makes provision for
those ranges to be recorded and published.
Paragraph 15 of the amendment makes derogations from the restrictions for air weapons.
Paragraphs 16 to 22 of the amendment make derogations from the restrictions on lead shot in respect
of elite athletes and make provisions as to the information that must be provided by those athletes
seeking to use lead shot, and by those who wish to supply it.
Paragraph 23 of the amendment makes further derogation provisions for projectiles other than shot
in relation to indoor target shooting, use at outdoor shooting ranges, and in respect of live quarry
shooting, including zeroing.
Paragraph 24 sets out labelling requirements.
Paragraphs 25 to 26 set out exemptions from the restriction.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument. An assessment of the
socioeconomic impact was published by the Health and Safety Executive in its final opinion on its
restriction proposal.
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