Stratospheric ozone depletion is being caused by anthropogenic emissions of chlorine and bromine-containing substances such as CFCs, HCFCs and halons. International agreement to limit the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances was reached in 1987 through the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which aims to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions of man-made ozone depleting substances. The Protocol was adjusted in Vienna in 1995 and amended and adjusted in Montreal in 1997. The Protocol now contains new controls on methyl bromide consisting of a 25% cut from 1 January 1999, a 50% cut from 1 January 2001, a 70% cut from 1 January 2003, and phase out from 1 January 2005, with a blanket exemption for quarantine and pre-shipment uses and provision for critical uses after phase out. The controls on HCFCs were strengthened in Vienna by introducing a 2.8% cap on consumption and phase out in 2020 with a 0.5% allowance until 2030 for servicing existing refrigeration equipment. The amendments also provide, amongst other things, an extension of the trade controls with States not Party to the Protocol to include methyl bromide, and provisions for a licensing system for imports and exports of all ozone depleting substances.
Consultation on proposed regulations on mandatory minimum qualifications for handlers of ozone depleting substances
22 November 2005 O Defra in consultation with the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales are seeking views on the introduction of mandatory minimum qualifications for handlers of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in relation to the implementation of EC Regulation 2037/2000 in England, Wales and Scotland. Please follow this link for consultation details