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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (COM(2023)0739 – 2023/3005(RPS))

On the proposal for a Council regulation amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for thiacloprid in or on certain products

B-9-2024-0057

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Anja Hazekamp, Maria Arena, Michal Wiezik, Jutta Paulus

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Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament opposes the Commission's proposal for a Council regulation on maximum residue levels for thiacloprid in or on certain products. It considers the proposal incompatible with Regulations (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 178/2002 and (EC) No 1107/2009, including point 3.6.4 of Annex II. It calls on the Commission to withdraw the proposal and to submit a new draft lowering all maximum residue levels for thiacloprid to the limit of determination for all uses and refusing any requests for import tolerances.

Key points

  1. Thiacloprid is an active ingredient in insecticides mainly used on cotton, pome fruit, vegetables and potatoes.
  2. Its approval expired on 3 February 2020 and was not renewed; the grace period for products containing it expired on 3 February 2021.
  3. Approval was not renewed because criteria in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 were not met, with EFSA identifying groundwater contamination by metabolites and ECHA classifying thiacloprid as toxic for reproduction category 1B.
  4. EFSA also could not finalise the risk assessment for bees and non-target terrestrial plants.
  5. Thiacloprid is classified as suspected of causing cancer (category 2) and very toxic for aquatic life (acute 1 and chronic 1).
  6. The PAFF Committee did not deliver an opinion; eight member states did not support the draft, citing concerns about maintaining maximum residue levels and import tolerances for a non-approved substance meeting cut-off criteria.
  7. Germany stated it does not support setting maximum residue levels for active substances not approved in the EU due to health concerns.
  8. The Commission proposes to maintain maximum residue levels above the limit of determination for more than 30 products for import purposes, ranging from twice to a thousand times the limit of determination.
  9. Import tolerances were refused only for peaches and sweet peppers because an exceedance of the acute reference dose cannot be excluded.
  10. Parliament opposes adoption of the proposal, considers it incompatible with Regulations (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) No 178/2002 and (EC) No 1107/2009, and calls on the Commission to withdraw it.
  11. Parliament calls on the Commission to submit a new draft lowering all maximum residue levels for thiacloprid to the limit of determination for all uses and refusing any requests for import tolerances.

Who is affected

  • Importers of products such as tea, tree nuts, fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat and animal products, for which import tolerances are proposed.
  • EU farmers, who may face unfair competition from third-country farmers still using thiacloprid.
  • Bees and other pollinators, which the text says are harmed by thiacloprid.
  • EU citizens, whose health the text says the proposed maximum residue levels do not protect.

Figures and deadlines

  • 3 February 2020: date the approval of thiacloprid expired.
  • 3 February 2021: date the grace period for plant protection products containing thiacloprid expired.
  • 0,1 µg/L: parametric drinking water limit exceeded by thiacloprid metabolites.
  • 0,01 mg/kg: default value set by Article 18(1), point (b), of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005.
  • More than 30 products: number of products for which the Commission proposes to maintain maximum residue levels above the limit of determination for import purposes.
  • Twice to a thousand times the limit of determination: range of proposed maximum residue levels, with the highest for tea.
  • Two uses (peaches and sweet peppers): uses for which import tolerances were refused.

Legal basis: Articles 11, 13, 168 and 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.