EU weighs stricter pesticide limits on African agricultural imports
The proposal is now under examination by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
EUROPE – The European Union is considering tighter pesticide residue rules that could make it harder for some agricultural products from Africa and other regions to enter the European market as the proposal moves through the legislative process.
Under the proposal, residue limits for certain pesticides banned in the EU could be set to the lowest level laboratories can reliably detect, even if those substances remain legally used in exporting countries.
The European Commission introduced the measure in December as part of a broader package to simplify food and feed safety legislation.
The proposal would allow maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides not authorized in the EU to be lowered to the limit of quantification, the lowest level laboratories can reliably detect.
As a result, imports containing traces of those substances could then be rejected, even when their use remains legal in producing countries.
According to the Commission, the proposal would first change the legal framework to allow the Commission to withdraw an import tolerance and lower an MRL to the limit of quantification if an impact assessment finds the change justified.
However, several African countries, along with trading partners from Latin America, Asia, and North America, have urged Brussels to consult exporting countries before changing the rules.
Their main argument is that maximum residue limits should remain based on scientific assessments of consumer risks, in line with international Codex Alimentarius standards, rather than solely on whether a substance has been banned in the EU for environmental reasons.
For many African countries, the EU is a major market for high-value agricultural products. Horticultural exports from Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and South Africa depend heavily on producers’ ability to meet European sanitary requirements.
The Commission’s feedback period on the proposal ended on June 12, 2026, while WTO members had until March 30 to comment on the EU notification. The proposal is now under examination by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.
Lastly, the latest presidency compromise would allow MRLs for certain substances not authorized in the EU to be lowered to the limit of quantification in specific cases, while requiring a prior risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority.
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