From the beginning of this year it has been illegal to market or use any pesticide that is not registered with the Pesticides Control Service (PCS) in the Department of Agriculture.
Up until now only pesticides classified as "plant protection products (PPPs)" were required to be registered with the PCS but since new European legislation came into force, pesticides which are classified as "biocides" must also be registered.
A biocide is differentiated from a plant protection product according to the intended use of the product, not according to its "active substance". Thus a product which is intended for eradicating ants in patios would be classified as a biocide whereas a product with the same "active substance" but intended for killing greenfly on plants would be classified as a plant protection product.
However, a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman said "the biocides register has not been compiled as yet".
"There are ongoing discussions taking place within the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) and between the DAF and the Department of Finance with a view to providing the PCS with the resources necessary to implement the biocides legislation.
"Preparation of the register is a huge task which is tying up staff at a time of flux," said a Government source. "Up to two years ago the PCS was struggling to keep up in terms of staffing. Now the biocides thing has thrown it back 20 years."
If and when the new register is in place it will provide a straightforward means by which the public will be able to find out which pesticide products classified as biocides are legal.