Pesticide residue levels. At the mercy of trade interests Significant discrepancies also exist between the EU and Mercosur in terms of the maximum permitted levels for pesticide residues, as the pesticide data- bases of the EU and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) reveal. For example, lower limits apply in the EU than in Brazil for the permissible residues of the herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D in a number of products, including coffee, sugar cane and pears (glyphosate) as well as soya beans, rice and maize (2,4-D). The limits for glyphosate in coffee and sugar cane are no less than ten times higher in Brazil than in the EU (see Diagram 12). However, a comparison of other agricultural prod- ucts shows that the EU does not in fact apply stricter pesticide residue limits than Brazil throughout. The Brazilian limits for glyphosate residues in soya beans, wheat and peas, for example, are much lower than in the EU, where they are extremely high. In the case of wheat, the discrepancy is 200-fold, for peas it is 1000times higher (see Diagram 13). Brazilian consumers could therefore face particular health risks when wheat or peas are imported from the EU. However, the limits for glyphosate residues in soya beans are extremely high on both sides (Brazil 10 mg/kg, EU 20 mg/kg). It should be noted that it was only in 1999 that the EU, coming under pressure from the agricultural lobby, drastically increased the residue limit for glyphosate in soya beans from 0.1 mg/kg to 20 mg/ kg – a 200-fold increase. In doing so, it was aligning itself with the international Codex Alimentarius Commission, which had already raised its limit to 20 mg/kg two years earlier. The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines food standards, but its decisions are controversial because they often reflect the influ- ence of the food industry. Brazil followed the trend in 2004 and raised its glyphosate limit for soya beans from 0.2 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg – a 50-fold increase.59 Bayer, BASF and other pesticide producers are ex- erting enormous pressure on the European Commis- sion to prevent it from tightening the residue limits for imported agricultural products. Recent research by the non-governmental organisation “Corporate Europe Observatory” shows that the companies have often been successful in this respect.60
