The European Parliament on Wednesday vetoed the authorisation of residues of banned agricultural poison on imported products, such as fruit and vegetables. A majority of over 500 MEPs supported the objections lodged by the Party for the Animals against the plan.
The European Commission wanted to allow imported coffee, cereals, meat, lemons, mandarins and sugar beets to contain small amounts of 'carbendazim' and 'cyproconazole'. In the European Union, farmers are not allowed to use these chemicals because they are harmful to health and highly toxic to the environment.
Cyproconazole is an antifungal pesticide used on cereals, coffee, sugar beets, grapes, and peanuts. The agent has a hormone disrupting effect. 'Carbendazim' is a mutagenic substance, which is sprayed on lemons and mandarins outside Europe.
"These substances are prohibited in the EU. Then it is strange if you allow them in imported food. Our aim is that all farmers - inside and outside Europe - will produce food with respect for animals, our planet and our health. Then you must also set the same standards for imported products as for European products," says MEP Anja Hazekamp (Party for the Animals).
The adopted objections have a binding effect, which means that imported products must remain free of the said toxins. The adopted resolutions emphasize that agricultural products imported from non-EU countries must meet the same standards as products produced in the EU to ensure a level playing field.
522 MEPs voted in favour of the objection to the Commission decision on cyproconazole and spirodiclofen, 127 against and 28 abstained. For benomyl, carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl, 516 MEPs voted in favour of the objection, 129 against and 27 abstained.
An absolute majority of at least 359 MEPs was needed to reject the Commission's decisions. The European Commission must now withdraw its proposals. MEPs are calling on the Commission to submit a new proposal lowering all maximum residue levels to the lowest possible default value of 0.01 mg