EU plans stricter food import restrictions over pesticide use

Date:02-17-2025

The European Union is planning to pursue new restrictions on imported food products treated by toxic pesticides banned in the bloc to address farmers’ complaints about the stricter standards they face in an increasingly competitive global market.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, ″will establish a principle that the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons are not allowed back to the EU through imported products,″ according to a draft document to be published Wednesday.

EU farmers have been protesting across Europe over the past year about the increasing burdens of the bloc’s climate and environmental rules. As a result, they have been fighting a trade deal concluded with the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay because of the lower requirements in those nations.

But this latest EU plan risks triggering pushback from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused the EU of treating the US unfairly. In calling last week for reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, the Trump administration specifically said it planned to take into account non-tariff barriers to trade, which could include the bloc’s regulations.

The EU has classified a small portion of pesticides as hazardous, banning them over health and environmental concerns.

The commission plans to avoid blanket bans and proceed on a case-by-case basis when deciding about toxic pesticide use, taking into account market realities and the country of origin, an EU official said. To that end, it will launch an impact assessment this year to consider the effects of any decision on the EU’s competitive position and the international implications, including compliance with World Trade Organization rules.

The WTO allows for autonomous measures if they’re justified by a legitimate policy goal, such as health or environmental reasons. But the consequences of EU regulations abroad, in particular its green rules, have been a bone of contention with third countries.

The Financial Times reported earlier that the EU is trying to block imports of some food items, possibly including US crops like soybeans. An EU official said that the proposal won’t target any product or country, and that the impact assessment will take into account the EU’s strategic interests and its competitiveness. The official said that might include the need to import plant-based proteins, including soybeans from nations like the US, one of its main suppliers.

The bloc, however, wants to diversify its sources of proteins, which are currently highly concentrated in exporters like Argentina and Brazil, because dependencies make ″the food system vulnerable to global market fluctuations and sustainability risks,″ according to the draft document.

In this regard, the commission will develop a plan to address these challenges to come up with ″a more self-sufficient and sustainable EU protein system, while at the same time diversifying imports,″ the document said. The draft is still subject to changes before it’s officially released.