PR98555

MUMBAI, India, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    A well-guided effort is underway to seek the revocation of the inconsistent

trade measures imposed by WTO at the next meeting of the World Trade

Organisation - Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee (7th - 11th November 2022).

At issue is the validity of the European Union import tolerance Maximum Residue

Level (MRL) of 0.01 ppm (parts per million) for the majority of pesticides.

This equals 1 gram of pesticide residue for every 100 tons of food commodity.

At this trace level, a pesticide residue would not be biologically,

toxicologically, or environmentally relevant. These trade measures could

adversely affect agricultural exports from India and other developing countries

to EU.  

    The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

(SPS Agreement) enforced since 1st Jan 1995 with the establishment of World

Trade Organization (WTO) carries strict science-based rules for applying the

Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for pesticides. MRL is the highest level of a

pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in agricultural commodity when

traded. The commodity may be food grains, fruits & vegetables, meat etc. MRLs

are termed as SPS Measure in the WTO parlance. According to the WTO laws, the

SPS measures should treat all WTO members equally so that all member countries

get opportunities to increase international trade.

    Commenting on the issue S Ganesan – Advisor to CENTEGRO (A Not for Profit

Think-Tank focused on improving farm economy) asserted "As per the 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pesticide is not approved for use in the EU and /or withdrawn from the EU

market, a default value of 0.01 ppm is set as import tolerance MRL. According

to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA - 2021), MRLs are set for more than

1300 pesticides. Of this, a default MRL of 0.01 ppm applies to as many as 690

pesticides. In other words, for over 50% of the pesticides the EU applies 0.01

ppm as import tolerance MRL. This is as good as zero tolerance".

    "Rejections of exported consignments applying the WTO inconsistent MRL of

0.01 ppm have serious consequences on agricultural production, price and

farmers income not only in India but also in other developing countries. The

use of pesticide widely varies among countries depending upon the climate,

crops grown and prevalence of pests and diseases" S Ganesan further added.

    The WTO-SPS Agreement stipulates that WTO members should minimize negative

trade effects. The current EU MRL of 0.01 ppm is completely inconsistent with

the provisions of the WTO SPS Agreement and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade). These measures could be the disguised restriction on international

trade as it would not stand WTO scrutiny. All countries that export to the EU

and other stakeholders must work together to persuade the EU to reconsider the

import tolerance MRL of 0.01 ppm at the WTO under the relevant provisions of

SPS Agreement and the GATT. The withdrawal of the WTO inconsistent SPS measure

of 0.01 ppm MRL by the EU would go a long way in enabling developing and even

third world countries to export their agri products.

    For further information Contact:

    Mr S Ganesan,

    Advisor to (Trade Related International Agreements) Centre for Environment

and Agriculture (CENTEGRO - Mumbai, India)  

    Phone : + 919959552725

    e-mail: ganesanicc@gmail.com/ info@centegro.org

    Photo:

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1933420/S_Ganesan_Advisor_CENTEGRO.jpg

    Source: Centre for Environment and Agriculture (CENTEGRO)