Vietnam's strengthening of residual-pesticide regulations and the impact on exports

"Vietnamese vegetables and fruit—are the pesticides all right?"

Many people probably have this question. In recent years, the issue of pesticide residues has become an unavoidable theme in Vietnam's agricultural exports.

This article explains in detail the current state of Vietnam's pesticide-residue regulations and the background to their tightening, a comparison with the standards of the EU and Japan, how the Positive List System works, and the impact on the export front line.

Pesticide use in Vietnam and the background to regulation

Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia's leading agricultural power nations. Rice, coffee, Cashew nuts, vegetables, fruit, and other diverse agricultural products are exported to countries around the world.

However, to boost agricultural productivity, pesticide use tends to be high. According to 2022 data, about 100,000 tonnes of pesticides are used across Vietnam each year, about 1.5 times more than a decade ago.

In response to this situation, major importing countries such as the EU, Japan, and the United States are tightening pesticide-residue standards. The number of import rejections has also risen, and the reality is that Vietnam is being pressed to take countermeasures.

What brought the pesticide issue to the surface

Since the 2010s, cases of exceeding pesticide-residue limits have come one after another, in shrimp and vegetables for the EU and edamame for Japan. In 2017, Japan strengthened inspections of Vietnamese edamame, and there were cases that led to import suspension. Such cases became the trigger that spurred a review of regulations within Vietnam.

EU and Japan pesticide-residue standards and the Positive List System

Pesticide standards differ greatly by export destination. For exporters, this is one of the biggest challenges.

The EU's regulatory framework

The EU is one of the regions with the strictest pesticide-residue regulations in the world. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducts scientific assessments, and the European Commission sets the maximum residue limits (MRLs).

A distinctive feature is that the default value for pesticides without a set MRL is 0.01mg/kg, which is extremely low. In effect, the stance is that the use of unregistered pesticides is not permitted.

The EU carries out periodic Increased Controls on Vietnamese produce. Most recently, items such as dragon fruit, basil, and lemongrass were targeted, and items with high failure rates risk being placed on the import-ban list.

Japan's Positive List System

Japan introduced the Positive List System in 2006. This is based on the idea of "clearly listing the permitted pesticides and their limits, and in principle prohibiting everything else."

For pesticides not on the list, as a uniform standard value, 0.01ppm is applied. This means that even a trace residue can be regarded as a violation.

At present, Japan's pesticide registration list contains about 800 types of pesticides, each with limits set for individual crops.

Comparison of EU, Japan, and Vietnam standards

Even for the same pesticide, the standards differ greatly by country. Below is a comparison of representative pesticides and crops.

This table shows that in some cases the EU and Japan standards are tens to more than a hundred times stricter than Vietnam's domestic standards. This means that produce that can be sold without problem within Vietnam can risk being regarded as a violation in the export destination.

Trends in tightening regulation within Vietnam

To maintain export competitiveness, the Vietnamese government is tightening pesticide-residue regulations in stages.

Efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)

Since 2020, MARD has been promoting the following measures.

• Expanding the list of banned pesticides (currently 61 types are banned)
• Tightening the pesticide registration system (shortening review periods and raising registration requirements)
• Developing a system of origin certification for produce
• Promoting the spread of GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification

Particularly noteworthy is the review of domestic standards with reference to the Positive List Systems of the EU and Japan. For export-bound produce, guidance is given to give priority to applying the standards of the destination country.

The spread of VietGAP and Global GAP

Within Vietnam, certification under an agricultural standard called "VietGAP" is spreading. It systematizes pesticide management, record-keeping, and safety assurance.

As of 2024, producers and producer groups that have obtained VietGAP certification about 5,000 nationwide exceed that number. Among export-oriented producers, moreover, the move to obtain internationally accepted Global GAP certification is also spreading.

The state of inspection systems and the challenges

Even if regulations are tightened, they have no real effect without inspection systems to match. Let's look at the current state of Vietnam's inspection systems.

Developing public inspection bodies

Vietnam has public bodies able to test agricultural produce for pesticide residues. The main ones include inspection centers under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and labs managed by each province's agriculture department.

However, inspection capacity varies by region. In urban areas such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang it is relatively well developed, but in provincial agriculture departments both equipment and personnel are, at present, in short supply.

The state of pre-export inspection

For produce bound for Japan, sample testing is carried out by certifying bodies designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. However, because it is not full inspection, cases that slip through are not zero.

For produce bound for the EU, prior testing at an EU-designated lab is mandatory, and for items subject to Increased Controls in particular, sampling inspection of 50% or more may be imposed in some cases.

The role of the private sector

Not only public bodies but also private inspection agencies and self-inspection by exporters themselves are increasing. It is not uncommon for Japanese and Western food companies to require their sourcing partners to carry out their own pesticide testing.

There is no doubt that such private-led efforts are contributing to raising overall quality.

The actual impact on the export front line

So, what impact is this tightening of regulation having on Vietnam's export front line?

Cases of export suspension and intensified inspection

From 2023 to 2024, the EU applied Increased Controls measures to Vietnamese dragon fruit. There is a risk of an import ban if the failure rate exceeds a certain level, and farmers and exporters in the growing regions were kept busy responding.

For produce bound for Japan, pesticide-residue problems have also been reported in Vietnamese passion fruit and moringa-based products. Some have led to improvement orders or import-suspension instructions issued to importers.

The cost burden on farmers and exporters

Strengthening pesticide management naturally involves costs.

For small-scale farmers in particular, these cost burdens are heavy, and balancing the assurance of high quality and safety with keeping the business running is a challenge.

Positive changes, too

At the same time, it is true that the tightening of regulation is raising awareness of quality improvement. Growing regions able to supply high-safety produce reliably are becoming able to trade at higher prices. There are also increasing cases of being recognized as a "reliable sourcing partner" by Japanese mass retailers and EU buyers.

Summary

The tightening of Vietnam's pesticide-residue regulations is a theme that affects farmers, exporters, and importers alike. Here are the key points.

• The EU's default MRL value is 0.01mg/kg, and Japan's uniform standard is 0.01ppm, both extremely strict
• The gap between Vietnam's domestic standards and destination standards is large, and there are cases that are legal domestically but become violations on export
• The Vietnamese government, led by MARD, is advancing tighter regulation and the development of inspection systems
• The spread of VietGAP and Global GAP certification is driving quality improvement, and there are business opportunities for reliable growing regions
• Measures to address the cost burden on small-scale farmers and closing the regional gap in inspection capacity are challenges going forward

For those in agriculture and food importers considering exports, the issue of pesticide residues is directly tied to business risk. Always keeping up with the latest regulatory information is the key to a stable business.

At VN AGRI, we share the latest information on Vietnamese agriculture.

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