EU study warns pesticide import curbs risk lifting food prices

A European Union study found that proposed curbs on farm imports treated with pesticides risk pushing up consumer prices, adding to trade concerns raised by agricultural powerhouses such as the US and Brazil. 

In a preliminary study published Tuesday, the European Commission said that, in the scenarios that were assessed, “imports decline, EU production rises and consumer prices increase,” though the “magnitude depends strongly on exporters’ adaptation assumptions.”

The study adds to concerns raised by 19 countries at a World Trade Organization meeting in June, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Argentina. The US urged the EU to ensure its proposals are supported by a full risk assessment and avoid unnecessary withdrawals. 

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed measures in December as part of efforts to streamline and simplify food and feed safety legislation, while also aiming to “ensure a level playing field” for the bloc’s producers. The proposal would give the EU the power to ban imports with traces of pesticides that aren’t authorized in the bloc.

The proposal risks destabilizing markets and supply chains with a “zero-tolerance approach” that would make it “nearly impossible to reliably export to the EU,” the US Department of Agriculture said last week in an emailed response to questions. A USDA spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a........

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