EU continues to lower pesticide residue limits.
According to a summary by Vietnam SPS Office, from June 16 to 30, 2026, a total of 34 SPS notifications were issued, including 21 draft notifications for public comment and 13 effective notifications. Majority of new regulations aim to strengthen food safety control, pest control and enhance traceability requirements for imported goods.
EU is one of the markets with the most notable changes in this notification round, having published two draft amendments related to maximum residue limits (MRLs) of pesticides and phytosanitary measures.
In field of food safety, EU plans to amend Regulation (EC) No.396/2005 concerning eight pesticide active ingredients: azocyclotin, chlorfenapyr, cyhexatin, dicofol, endosulfan, fenarimol, fenpropathrin and profenofos. According to the draft, majority of maximum residue limits will be lowered to quantitative limits because these active ingredients have either not been approved by EU or had their approval withdrawn before 2008.
Regulations are expected to impact many of Vietnam's export product groups such as fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, tea, coffee, spices, cereals, meat and animal products. Notably, EU market continues to maintain temporary residue limits for propenofos on some groups of edible herbs and flowers, but at the same time proposes a significant reduction in residue limits for mangoes, tomatoes, cottonseed and many other items.
In parallel, the EU is also amending plant quarantine regulations to prevent risk of introduction of some new pests and updating quarantine requirements and commodity classification codes (CNs) applicable to imported goods.
Australia also announced draft amendments to food standards related to maximum residue levels for 13 active ingredients in pesticides and veterinary drugs. The adjustments include adding new residue levels, increasing or decreasing some existing levels and revising residue definition for glufosinate group of active ingredients.
Products affected include soybeans, rapeseed, grapes, raisins, cottonseed, lettuce, lychee, custard apple and some livestock products. Meanwhile, New Zealand announced three notable draft regulations concerning agricultural chemical residues and import standards for microorganisms, biological products and animal-derived foods and cosmetics. New regulations also add requirements for several new products such as cell-cultured poultry and biological preparations.
Japan, Turkey and Brazil strengthen quarantine requirements.
Japan issued the most effective notices during the period with 7 new documents. Revisions focus on amending maximum residue limits for six pesticide active ingredients: Esprocarb, Ethaboxam, Mandipropamid, Picarbutrazox, Polyoxorim-zinc and Trifloxystrobin. These changes apply to various product groups such as vegetables, fruits, grains, oilseeds, spices, coffee, honey and livestock products.
Some new residue limits have been in effect since the end of 2025, while reductions will be implemented from the end of 2026. For items not specifically regulated, Japan maintains a general limit of 0.01 ppm. In addition, Japan is also comprehensively revising plant quarantine regulations, updating list of quarantined pests, list of prohibited imported plants and mandatory quarantine requirements for each product group.
Notably, Türkiye has added a requirement to declare information on Phytosanitary Certificates and Re-export Certificates. This regulation will take effect on August 4, 2026. Accordingly, if certificate does not fully show mandatory information according to Annex 4 and ISPM 12 standards, it will be considered invalid, meaning shipment will not be allowed to be imported.
Brazil is also seeking comments on two draft new regulations on phytosanitary control for imported Ethiopian rapeseed and mustard seeds. Shipments must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration confirming absence of pests as required by Brazil. In case of detection of quarantine pests, shipment may be re-exported or destroyed and Brazil may temporarily suspend imports to assess the risk.
In addition to markets mentioned above, the United States also announced that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accepted a request to establish a maximum residue limit of 0.5 ppm for the pesticide sulfoxaflor on pistachios.
Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office, said that continuous updating of SPS regulations by many markets shows an increasing trend of technical barriers in agricultural and food trade. Exporting businesses need to regularly monitor SPS notifications, proactively review production processes, use pesticides in accordance with regulations, strengthen traceability and prepare complete quarantine documents to meet increasingly stringent requirements of importing markets.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn