The measures will apply to imported products from 2026. This will give member states and third countries time to comply with the new rules.

The measures will apply to imported products from 2026. This will give member states and third countries time to comply with the new rules.

The Commission has adopted a regulation which, when it comes into effect, will reduce the maximum permitted levels of residues of two pesticides in food. Assessments by the European Food Safety Agency have shown that two chemicals belonging to the group of neonicotinoid pesticides pose a high risk to bees and contribute to the reduction of the number of pollinators. For this reason, their use outdoors in the EU was already banned in 2018.

For imported food and feed, the new rules will reduce the existing MROs to the lowest level that can be measured with the latest technologies. It will not only apply in the EU, but also to imported food products.

The regulation implements the Commission's goals announced in the green plan and the "field to table" strategy to take environmental aspects into account when assessing requests for import tolerance for pesticides no longer approved in the EU, while respecting WTO standards and obligations. The measures will apply to imported products from 2026. This will give member states and third countries time to comply with the new rules.

More information on neonicotinoids is available here.

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