Protection of Italian rice – calling on the Commission to stop favouring imports of Asian rice containing tricyclazole and ensure reciprocity in production standards

Subject: Protection of Italian rice – calling on the Commission to stop favouring imports of Asian rice containing tricyclazole and ensure reciprocity in production standards

Tricyclazole is a fungicide banned in the EU since 2016, but widely used by Southeast Asian countries exporting rice to Europe (+86 % of imports in 2022).

At the beginning of the year, the Commission presented a proposal for a regulation to increase the maximum residue limit (MRL) for tricyclazole in imported rice from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.09 mg/kg.

This increase in the level of tricyclazole tolerated in rice was opposed by both the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee) and the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Italy is Europe’s largest rice producer (accounting for 50 % of EU production) and with its 200 rice varieties constitutes a unique repository of biodiversity.

Any increased tolerance of this plant protection product solely for imported rice would show the inconsistency of EU policies aiming to reduce the presence of plant protection products in food and would infringe the principle of reciprocity, with very serious economic repercussions for European rice growers, who are already at a significant competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis producers in third countries.

Given the above:

1. Does the Commission intend to amend or withdraw the proposal to increase the limit?

2. How does it intend to strengthen controls on rice imports in order to ensure food security in the EU and the principle of reciprocity vis-à-vis European producers?

Submitted: 30.10.2023

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (7 February 2024)

Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 (1) on maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides in or on food provides that the same MRLs apply to food produced in the EU and to food imported from third countries.

It also requires that all applications for setting MRLs, including those based on pesticide uses in third countries (import tolerances), are treated equally in terms of data requirements, risk assessment and consumer safety.

The assessment of applications does not involve any socioeconomic analysis but is focused solely on the safety of the MRLs for consumers.

Refusing import tolerances that are submitted in accordance with the procedure outlined in the regulation in a situation when neither the risk assessment made by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2), nor the risk management by the Commission identified any ground for not granting the import tolerance would contravene the provisions of the regulation.

Nevertheless, since the European Parliament adopted on 14 December 2023 a resolution according to Article 5a(4)(e) of Decision 1999/468/EC (3) opposing the draft Regulation for setting an MRL of 0.09 mg/kg for tricyclazole in rice (4), the Commission cannot proceed with the adoption of the draft Regulation. Therefore, the existing MRL at the default value of 0.01 mg/kg will remain in place.

1 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and

feed of plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC. OJ L 70, 16.3.2005, p. 1. 2 ∙ ⸱ EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), 2023. Reasoned Opinion on the setting of import tolerance for tricyclazole in rice. EFSA Journal 2023;21(1):7757, 27 pp. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7757 3 ∙ ⸱

1999/468/EC: Council Decision of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission. OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. 4 ∙ ⸱

Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Annexes II and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for tricyclazole in or on certain products. COM/2023/499 final. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM %3A2023%3A0499%3AFIN








| | )Regular controls of pesticides residue levels in both domestic and imported rice are carried out by the Member States. The results of these controls do not show any findings that would require control on imported rice to be strengthened.