The European Union is planning to pursue new restrictions on imported food products treated by toxic pesticides banned in the bloc to address farmers¡¯ complaints about the stricter standards they face in an increasingly competitive global market.
The European Commission, the bloc¡¯s executive arm, ¡°will establish a principle that the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons are not allowed back to the EU through imported products,¡± according to a draft document to be published Wednesday.
EU farmers have been protesting across Europe over the past year about the increasing burdens of the bloc¡¯s climate and environmental rules. As a result, they have been fighting a trade deal concluded with the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay because of the lower requirements in those nations.
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