This has been agreed in Riga, Latvia, by the Ministers of Agriculture of the 28 member states of the European Union at an informal meeting, where it has been decided not to include "zero tolerance" policies in the new EU regulation, which is to be approved by the Council of Ministers of Agriculture in a formal meeting to be held on 16 June.
Before that, on 5 June, another meeting will take place to close the discussions concerning pesticide residues.
While, in general terms, a certain presence of pesticide residues will be allowed, countries that advocate for "zero tolerance" policies may apply them in their national markets, although they will have to accept higher levels in imports from other member states or third countries.
The argument not to include the "zero tolerance" clause is that some crops may be slightly contaminated by products grown in nearby farms, which would automatically result in them being discarded for the organic certificate.
Before its entry into force, the new regulation will have to be approved by the European Parliament (EP), the European Council and the European Commission (EC).
