A High Court ruling has insisted an EU directive on the bendiness of bananas will not go through.

Thousands of standards had been set by the EU to govern the shape and size of fruit and vegetables, but thanks to a legal loophole from 1973 these rules are unenforceable in the UK.

This ruling would have enormous implications for growers, especially organic growers who had trouble reaching the EU's requirements that were implemented to ensure basic standards of quality, labelling and cleanliness.

In 1994 there was chaos when the EU insisted bananas should not bend 'abnormally', should be at least 5.5 inches long and 1.05 inches round. And in 1998 supermarket chain Asda was forced to label its organic cucumbers at class 2 rather than class 1 because the cues were too bendy.

The High Court ruling on June 25 stemmed from a case brought against an Asda store in Hampshire, where fresh produce had failed to reach the EU standards.

The store faced 14 charges alleging it had breached EU standards, but was thrown out of court by a District Judge.

The Judge deemed the ruling as 'unknown to law'.

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