New pesticide use regulations will affect agricultural exports in developing countries
Mumbai, India, 2 Nov A work is well underway to seek to undo WTO-implemented inconsistencies at the next meeting of the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee (7-11 Nov 2022) trade measures.
At issue is whether the EU's maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.01 ppm (parts per million) for most pesticide imports is effective. This is equivalent to 1 gram of pesticide residue per 100 tons of food. At this trace level, pesticide residues have no biological, toxicological or environmental links. These trade measures could adversely affect agricultural exports from India and other developing countries to the EU.
The "Agreement on the Implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures" (SPS Agreement) implemented on January 1, 1995 came into effect after the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO). scientific rules.
The MRL is the maximum level of pesticide residues that are legally tolerated when trading agricultural commodities. Commodities may be food grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, etc. In WTO terminology, MRLs are known as SPS measures. According to WTO law, SPS measures should treat all WTO members equally, so that all members have the opportunity to increase international trade.
When evaluating this issue, S Ganesan, consultant of CENTEGRO (a non-profit think tank focused on improving farm economy), said that "according to EU Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides, when a pesticide is not approved for use in the EU And/or when withdrawing from the EU market, set the default value of 0.01 ppm as the maximum residue level allowed for import.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA - 2021), MRLs are available for more than 1300 pesticides. Of these, the default maximum residue level of 0.01 ppm applies to as many as 690 pesticides. In other words, the EU adopts 0.01 ppm as the maximum residue limit allowed for imports for more than 50% of pesticides. This amounts to zero tolerance."
"The application of the WTO-inconsistent 0.01 ppm MRL leading to rejection of export consignments has serious consequences for agricultural production, prices and farmers' incomes not only for India but also for other developing countries. The use of pesticides varies widely across countries, which It depends on the climate, the crops grown and the prevalence of pests and diseases," S Ganesan further added.
The WTO-SPS agreement stipulates that WTO members should minimize the negative impact on trade. The current EU MRL is 0.01ppm, completely inconsistent with the WTO SPS Agreement and GATT ("General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade"). Because these measures cannot stand the scrutiny of the WTO, they may become disguised restrictions on international trade. All countries exporting to the EU and other stakeholders must work together to persuade the EU to reconsider the WTO's allowable MRL for imports at 0.01 ppm, in accordance with the SPS Agreement and the relevant provisions of the GATT. The withdrawal of the EU's SPS measure of 0.01 ppm MRL, which is inconsistent with the WTO, will greatly help developing countries, even third world countries, export their agricultural products.
