EU Tightens Food Safety Regulations
According to Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the EU is currently Vietnam’s key export market for agricultural products. The estimated export turnover after four years of implementing the EVFTA agreement is $200 billion, and export growth to the EU reaches 12-15% per year. Vietnam has consistently maintained a trade surplus with this market.
However, since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has recorded an abnormal increase in the number of warnings from this market. According to statistics, there are 57 active ingredients that are often controlled by the EU, and businesses and farmers need to pay special attention to them, an increase of over 80% compared to the same period last year. This increase has also led to the EU increasing the frequency of border checks on agricultural exports from Vietnam.
Currently, four agricultural products from Vietnam are subject to stricter controls, including dragon fruit with a 30% inspection rate, chili with a 50% inspection rate, yardlong beans with a 50% inspection rate, and durian with a 10% inspection rate.
Notably, recently, the Vietnam SPS Office notified WTO members of a draft related to increasing and decreasing the MRL (maximum residue limit of pesticides allowed by law) of certain active ingredients. Among them, the MRL of Zoxamide in lettuce, endive, and spinach is proposed to be reduced from 30ppm to 0.01ppm (equivalent to 3,000 times). Accordingly, 0.01ppm is the default level applied by the EU for active ingredients for which the market has not established an MRL and are not in the common database.
Especially, in an interview with VTV Times, Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office, emphasized: The tightened food safety regulations will be applied to some of Vietnam’s key export products to the EU, such as rice, pepper, coffee, honey, and fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, the EU proposed adjustments for the active substances Fenbuconazole, Penconazole, and Acetamiprid for these products.
Specifically, for the active substances Fenbuconazole and Penconazole, the concentration for citrus fruits and nuts such as cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, rice, and yardlong beans will be very low, at only 0.01ppm. For coffee, pepper, and honey, the concentration will be 0.05ppm.
For the active substance Acetamiprid, the concentration for bananas will be 0.01ppm according to the new regulation, compared to 0.4ppm previously; for bell peppers and sweet peppers, the concentration will be reduced to 0.09ppm from 0.3ppm; and for tomatoes, the concentration will be lowered to 0.06ppm from 0.5ppm…
Urgent Implementation of Countermeasures is Needed
According to economic experts, despite the risks and losses incurred in the past (for example, a batch of chili exported to the EU with a volume of nearly 40kg was found to be unqualified, leading to a 50% border check rate for all chili exports from Vietnam)… However, exporting enterprises have not truly complied with the regulations of the importers. In some places, producers still follow habits and have not implemented measures and plans to use pesticides, antibiotics, and fertilizers as directed. In many cases, the monitoring rate of growing area codes and packaging facilities is low, while Vietnamese law does not have adequate regulations and penalties to handle violations related to food safety. Therefore, “the situation of violations is a worrying issue for agricultural exports, requiring effective solutions from management agencies, localities, enterprises, and producers,” said Mr. Hai.
The regulations of importers regarding pesticide residues are quite complex and vary for each active ingredient and each country.
In addition, Mr. Hai shared that not only the EU but also many other import markets will likely increase their requirements for food safety. This is especially true for markets with which Vietnam has signed free trade agreements (FTAs), as more non-tariff barriers will be widely used to protect domestic goods.
Therefore, we need to thoroughly understand the regulations of these markets to orient planting, processing, and preservation to meet food safety standards. This is the only way for Vietnamese agricultural products to be exported smoothly and sustainably to the EU.
“The regulations of importers regarding pesticide residues are quite complex and vary for each active ingredient and each country. Therefore, producers and businesses need to have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of science and technology, as well as a heightened awareness of product quality management to meet the requirements of the EU,” emphasized Mr. Nam.
Regarding the draft related to increasing and decreasing MRLs, the Vietnam SPS Office representative said that the EU plans to implement these regulations starting February 2025. This means that we only have six months to prepare and adjust our products to meet their requirements. This demands that producers and businesses quickly adjust and control the residue levels of the four active ingredients proposed by the EU. The EU periodically reviews and applies measures to strengthen import checks every six months. If timely solutions are not implemented, Vietnam’s agricultural and aquatic products exported to the EU are at risk of increased border checks, affecting the export process and enhancing competition in the international market.
A New Challenge for Vietnam’s Exports: EU Proposal Targets Cashews, Spices, and Durian
A range of agricultural products, including cashews, spices, and durian, are set to face tighter food safety regulations upon importation into the European market.
