\"Vietnamese vegetables and fruit\u2014are the pesticides all right?\"<\/p>\n
Many people probably have this question. In recent years, the issue of pesticide residues has become an unavoidable theme in Vietnam's agricultural exports.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia's leading agricultural power<\/a> nations. Rice, coffee, Cashew nuts<\/a>, vegetables, fruit, and other diverse agricultural products are exported to countries around the world.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Pesticide standards differ greatly by export destination. For exporters, this is one of the biggest challenges.<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n A distinctive feature is that the default value for pesticides without a set MRL is 0.01mg\/kg<\/strong>, which is extremely low. In effect, the stance is that the use of unregistered pesticides is not permitted.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.\"<\/p>\n For pesticides not on the list, as a uniform standard value, 0.01ppm<\/strong> is applied. This means that even a trace residue can be regarded as a violation.<\/p>\n At present, Japan's pesticide registration list contains about 800 types<\/strong> of pesticides, each with limits set for individual crops.<\/p>\n Even for the same pesticide, the standards differ greatly by country. Below is a comparison of representative pesticides and crops.<\/p>\nWhat brought the pesticide issue to the surface<\/h3>\n
EU and Japan pesticide-residue standards and the Positive List System<\/h2>\n
The EU's regulatory framework<\/h3>\n
Japan's Positive List System<\/h3>\n
Comparison of EU, Japan, and Vietnam standards<\/h3>\n