For the second time, France has banned the import and sale of cherries treated with this insecticide grown in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
This summer, you won’t find pesticide cherries on the market stalls. More than a year after the ban on the use of dimethoate by French farmers, a decree published in the Official Journal once again prohibits all imports of fruit containing this insecticide. This restriction, which came into effect on April 25, concerns both the countries of the European Union and the rest of the world.
This measure was motivated by the withdrawal of marketing authorizations in February 2016 for products treated with dimethoate by ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety). A few months later in a note, the agency explained that there are “unacceptable health risks” for workers, but also animals exposed to this phytosanitary substance. And when asked about the potential risks for consumers, ANSES could not rule out their existence although the analyzes carried out did not allow a formal conclusion to be drawn.
As a precaution, the Ministry of Agriculture then decided last April to trigger “a national safeguard clause” to prohibit the marketing in France of cherries from countries where dimethoate is still used. At the time, Spain, Italy, Greece and Slovenia also announced their intention to no longer allow dimethoate on cherries.
European immobility
Worried, the Ministry of Agriculture had also asked the European Commission to take emergency measures to ban the use of this product on cherry trees. Measures provided for in European law which have never been taken. Consequently, France has just reiterated this ban in this new decree. This runs until December 31, 2017.
Only cherries grown in organic farming will be able to be marketed in France in the coming months, specifies the text.
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