Northern Ireland dentists will be able to keep using dental amalgam for UK‑resident patients until 31 December 2034 under new UK regulations. The move follows a European Commission notice that allows continued import and use in Northern Ireland for those patients, while maintaining an export ban and tight safeguards. The statutory instrument was made on 12 November 2025 and comes into force 21 days later, on 3 December 2025. The measure matters well beyond Belfast, affecting North of England suppliers that serve practices across the Irish Sea.

Defra has amended the Control of Mercury (Enforcement) Regulations 2017 to list the EU’s new amalgam restrictions as ‘relevant provisions’ in Northern Ireland and to empower customs officials to help police the rules. The instrument also spells out that, after 31 December 2034, the import prohibition kicks in for Northern Ireland, aligning with the end of the permitted period. According to legislation.gov.uk, a de minimis assessment accompanies the change.

This all sits on top of the EU’s 2024 overhaul of mercury law. From 1 January 2025, the EU bans use of dental amalgam except where a dentist judges it strictly necessary for a specific patient. Export is banned from 1 January 2025, and import and manufacturing are banned from 1 July 2026, save for narrow medical needs. Those baseline dates frame what happens in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

Brussels’ guidance for the Windsor Framework sets the Northern Ireland carve‑out clearly: amalgam can be used in dental treatment only if the patient resides in the United Kingdom, and imports into Northern Ireland for that purpose may continue until 31 December 2034, or an earlier global phase‑out date agreed under the Minamata Convention. Manufacturing remains banned from 1 July 2026, and any export from Northern Ireland to outside the UK is prohibited.

For suppliers based in the North of England who ship to Northern Ireland, there’s a practical note in the Commission notice: after 1 July 2026, dental amalgam moved from Great Britain into Northern Ireland is treated as ‘category 1 goods’ under the Windsor Framework’s arrangements. That classification will shape the paperwork and checks wholesalers face when fulfilling orders for Northern Ireland practices.

Enforcement tightens as well. The UK instrument adds the new EU bans and reporting duties to the list of provisions that can trigger offences in Northern Ireland and confirms that customs officials can assist where export or post‑2034 import bans are in play. It ties the Northern Ireland listing to the Commission’s guidance to ensure the carve‑out is applied as intended.

On monitoring, importers and any remaining manufacturers in the EU framework must report volumes, and the UK authorities in respect of Northern Ireland must send annual updates to the European Commission covering imports, use and progress in reducing reliance on amalgam. These obligations run alongside the 2034 end date for the Northern Ireland allowance.

Dentists have warned for nearly two years that a sudden switch away from amalgam could hit access, with the British Dental Association flagging Northern Ireland as particularly exposed in early 2024. The new set‑up eases short‑term pressure but still points services towards mercury‑free materials over the next decade.

For Northern readers supplying the sector-materials distributors in Merseyside and Greater Manchester, dental labs in West Yorkshire, and logistics teams handling Irish Sea routes-the message is straightforward: NI practices can continue ordering amalgam for UK‑resident patients for now, but stock control, proof‑of‑residency processes and shipping documentation need to be watertight as the 2026 and 2034 milestones approach.

The bigger picture is environmental. The EU’s revised mercury regime aims to protect public health and the environment by ending the last intentional uses of mercury, and the NI arrangement is a time‑limited bridge rather than a permanent exception. Clinics and suppliers have time to plan-just not to stand still.