More than 50 chemicals firms that operate in the UK have moved their regulatory approvals to the EU in recent months.

The Guardian revealed that many companies are concerned about the impact a no-deal Brexit will have on the sector, and are therefore taking steps to ensure that even if the UK crashes out of the EU, they will still be able to conduct business legally.

As things stand, any current authorisations that UK businesses have for chemicals use will become worthless if there is no deal in place by 29 March 2019.

However, if their authorisations are granted by an EU agency, these firms will still be able to operate on the continent regardless of the way in which the UK leaves the EU.

The news provider pointed out that the UK’s chemicals sector exports two-thirds of its total production, with close to two-thirds of these exports going to EU markets.

In the UK, it is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that assesses applications for companies handling biocides, pesticides, industrial chemicals and detergents. This includes a number of applications from EU-based businesses.

Should a no-deal Brexit be the outcome, the HSE is expected to see its workload increase, while the same will also be true for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as firms would need to apply to both to be able to operate in the EU and UK.

It could present issues for companies providing toll processing services in the UK, which is why so many appear to be moving their registrations ahead of time.

This news comes after it was revealed that many manufacturers in the UK are stockpiling raw materials in preparation for a no-deal Brexit amid fears that supply chains will be disrupted and prices will rise.