European Commission lowers MRL for thiacloprid on imported products

The European Commission has lowered the maximum residue limits for thiacloprid, an insecticide banned in the EU since 2020, on numerous imported products, pending the completion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)'s risk assessment on the endocrine effects of this neonicotinoid.

Thiacloprid is an active ingredient in insecticides used mainly on cotton, pome fruits, vegetables, and potatoes. Its approval in the EU expired on 3 February 2020. It was not renewed because the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identified concerns related to groundwater contamination and reproductive toxicity, considering it likely to harm fertility and the unborn child.

Regulation (EU) 2024/2711 reduces the permitted residue level in many foods because ″reasonable concerns remain that MRLs based on uses not regulated by the EU have potentially harmful effects on human health and are incompatible with the high level of consumer protection in the Union.″

The text specifies: ″In order to allow the marketing, processing, and consumption of products to proceed normally, this Regulation should not apply to products that have been placed on the market in the Union before the entry into application of the new MRLs, except for pears, peaches, raspberries (red and yellow), peppers, Chinese cabbage, and lettuce, for which an acute risk to consumers has been identified. This transitional measure is justified and proportionate, given the limited range of products to which such a period would effectively apply (mainly products with a long shelf life and not fresh perishable products) and the low exposure of consumers to such products, as demonstrated by recent representative market monitoring data collected by the Authority.″

The Regulation allows a reasonable period before the amended MRLs become applicable to allow Member States, third countries, and food businesses to prepare to comply with the new requirements resulting from the amendment of the MRLs.