An independent legal opinion commissioned by PAN Europe, foodwatch and the Veblen Institute concludes that the EU practice of allowing residues of banned pesticides in imported food is highly questionable from an EU law perspective. Today, residues of more than 88 hazardous pesticide substances banned in the EU are still permitted in imported food. The European Commission not only can, but also has a legal duty to take immediate action to end this double standard, which continues to allow residues of harmful substances ending on citizens’ plates and treats EU farmers differently from their third-country competitors.
The Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus proposes some measures to address this situation. However, the proposal on the table is deeply insufficient in scope and largely symbolic. Under this proposal, the vast majority of banned pesticides would continue to enter the EU through imported food, while the overall legal framework on pesticides and their residues would be significantly weakened. As such, it is therefore not acceptable. The newly released legal opinion shows that action to end the presence of residues of banned pesticides in food is already possible today under existing EU law.
