The harmonisation of all MRLs at EU-level in summer 2008 should be within reach after an agreement this week in Brussels.

The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has adopted three key annexes of EU Regulation 396/2005/EC, fixing pan-EU harmonised maximum pesticide residue levels (MRLs) in or on fruits and vegetables.

The publication of these annexes is prerequisite to the full implementation of the MRL-legislation, which will enter into force six months after publication.

The formal procedure, including translation, will take several weeks, but the harmonisation of all MRLs at EU-level in summer 2008 should be within reach.

Frédéric Rosseneu, food safety advisor at Freshfel, Europe’s trade body for fresh produce, welcomed the timely completion of this process: “The myriad of MRLs applicable across the entire EU and their constant modification has proved the single biggest barrier to the trade of fresh produce across the EU,” he said. “Harmonisation is urgently needed to eliminate the number of technical exceedances arising from a range of such values.

“The adoption of the key annexes coincides with this week’s publication of the EU Residue Monitoring Report covering 2005, which shows nearly half of the MRL-exceedances can be attributed to non-harmonised maximum residue level settings in the EU.”

Separately, Freshfel also welcomed the fact that MEPs took into account some of the major concerns of the fresh produce sector during this week’s plenary vote in the European Parliament on two key pieces of legislation controlling the availability of plant protection solutions to farmers.

“Some issues remain problematic, but Freshfel will continue to work alongside other food chain partners, co-legislators and the European Commission with the intention of producing a better final outcome,” said Rosseneu.

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