Today, the European Parliament voted against two Commission decisions that would have allowed residue levels of several pesticides banned in the EU to be present in imported food. The pesticides in question are cyproconazole, spirodiclofen, benomyl, carbendazim, and thiophanate‐methyl.
These pesticides are already banned in the EU. The Parliament emphasised that imported agricultural products should meet the same standards as those produced within the EU to ensure fair competition. Allowing higher pesticide residue levels in imported food could pose health risks for both European citizens and those in the countries where the food is produced.
In the recent vote, 522 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) supported the objection to the Commission’s decision regarding cyproconazole and spirodiclofen, while 127 voted against, and 28 abstained. For benomyl, carbendazim, and thiophanate‐methyl, 516 MEPs voted in favour of the objection, while 129 voted against it and 27 abstained. A minimum of 359 MEPs was required to reject the Commission’s decisions.
As a result, the Commission is now required to withdraw its proposals. MEPs are urging the Commission to present a new draft that reduces all maximum residue levels to either the limit of determination (the lowest detectable amount) or the default value of 0.01 mg/kg for all uses and to reject any requests for import tolerances.
