EU Member States Back Move to Curb Pesticide Use in Imports Max Ramsay European Union countries agreed their stance on rules that will allow the bloc to ban the use of prohibited pesticides in imports from third countries, overcoming a key hurdle for a regulation that has angered major trading partners. The position reached by the EU’s 27 member states was published in a statement on Wednesday. It slightly broadens the original December proposal from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, as part of efforts to simplify legislation on food and feed safety. The rules would give the EU the power to ban imports with traces of pesticides that aren’t authorized in the bloc by setting their so-called Maximum Residue Levels, or MRLs, to zero. It extends the scope of substances covered to also include those that pose risks to bees or groundwater. Any decision to ban a substance would first be subject to an impact assessment. A study released in August by the commission found such decisions could raise food prices for consumers.

Earlier this month, countries including the US, Brazil, Japan and India called on the EU to backtrack on the proposal over concerns it could impact international trade, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg, after also raising the issue at the World Trade Organization. They say the proposal is a departure from international norms for setting MRLs, arguing different environmental conditions can justify the use of different pesticides. However, some EU member states have pushed hard for the rules, seeing them as bolstering the competitiveness of the bloc’s farmers. The Council of the EU’s stance also extends permitting limits for pesticides to 15 years for the first approval and 25 years for subsequent approvals, following calls from industry. The deal in the council moves the proposal much closer to reality, though it is still going through a separate approval process in the European Parliament. After that there will be negotiations between the two bodies to form a final version of the rules.