Following France’s lead, Poland has temporarily banned imports of fruit and vegetables containing trace amounts of four pesticides banned by the EU, calling on the European Commission to fulfill its promise to do the same at EU level.
Poland’s Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski and Health Minister Jolanta Sobielanska-Glenda last week signed regulations banning the import of certain products containing trace amounts of the fungicides thiophanate methyl, carbendazim, benomyl, and the herbicide glufosinate.
EU institutions are already in the process of banning residues of three of these substances.
The move, presented as a way to protect domestic farmers from what Warsaw sees as unfair competition from third countries, comes at a politically sensitive time, with the EU-Mercosur agreement just entering provisional application.
France adopted a similar decree in January that included the additional fungicide mancozeb. Like France’s measure, Poland’s measure only applies to certain products containing tropical fruits not produced domestically, such as mangoes and papayas.
However, again consistent with France’s approach, Poland’s rules do not impose an outright ban on all imports. For example, glufosinate-related regulations do not broadly apply to imports of grains used in animal feed, but are instead limited to selected products such as potatoes.
Poland’s former EU agriculture commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski, stressed that the impact of the decision would be limited, noting that affected products could still enter the EU single market and “take space away from Poland’s agricultural exports.”
European pesticide organization CropLife Europe has condemned this national approach. “National restrictions introduced without clear risk-based justification put the single market at risk and create uncertainty for businesses and supply chains,” the spokesperson said. Euractic.
Message to Brussels
France is considering extending the ban to all substances banned by the EU, but the one-year time limit adopted by both countries suggests the measure is more aimed at sending a political signal to Brussels than long-term protection for farmers.
In recent months, the European Commission has promised to extend measures to more substances, but this has yet to happen. In his Vision for the Future of Agriculture in February 2025, EU Farm Director Christoph Hansen pledged to “establish the principle that the most dangerous pesticides, which are banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons, cannot be brought back into the EU through imported products.”
His health secretary, Oliver Verheli, reiterated the same determination 10 months later in his proposal for a food and feed safety simplification package. He made the call again on Monday during a meeting with the European Parliament’s Environment Committee.
However, both members are concerned about the impact such measures will have on trade. The committee is awaiting the results of its investigation into the matter, expected by the summer.
Maria Simon Arboleas contributed reporting.
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