CETA, Canada declared war on Europe against pesticides and GMOs

Canada declares political conflict with Europe, forcing us to lower our defenses on food security. Applying CETA – At the time provided as A benign ‘free trade agreement’ – Attack rules established in Europe to protect human health and the environment. Apple and wheat are the first targets.

running ‘Provisional’ since September 2017, CETA has given Canadian companies a 6.5% increase in exports to Europe in 2018. (1) They are now preparing to move into stronger measures to break non-tariff barriers. that is, Break the rules EU and member states to oversee food safety and environmental protection.

Home report Canadian Trade and Grablife, Association of Pesticide Industries (4×4 towing, ie Big 4) is evident in the determinations of foreign lobbyists. (2) A plan based on 9 points to break down ‘barriers’ and use CETA to boost exports in the world’s largest agri-food trade area, precisely the Old Continent.

CETA, the budget Canadians don’t want

A year later in 2018 The implementation of a ‘free trade’ agreement – ​​thanks to tariff reductions – has significantly increased Canada’s exports to Europe. On a general basis (+6.5%) and on certain products, in particular:

– oats, + 493%,
– Corn, + 96.7%,
– frozen berries, + 35.5%,
– Other agricultural food products, +6.5%.

It recorded a decline in exportsConversely in other products:

– fresh berries, -33.1% (compared to the corresponding increase in frozen fruits),
– Rye, -15%,
– Wheat, -4.4% (Italians prefer Made in Italy and organic),
Other cereals, -5%.

From this budget Program Decision was born to transform even negative data into positive.

Even apples are high in pesticides for everyone

One of the priority objectivesfor that lobby Canadians are reducing pesticide residue limits allowed in Europe, significantly lower than those established across the Atlantic. We have already mentioned the different system of limits of contaminants in food, With reference to mycotoxins. Systems of food safety regulations are objectively different (As seen, including risk management and public recalls). The precautionary principle based on food law in Europe is not valid in North America. And this is not mentioned in anything Toxic contracts Negotiated and conditioned by Jean-Claude Juncker’s Commission. Not even inside CETAOr not inside JephthahOr not inside TTIP.

Canadian apples From Nova Scotia casus belly. The report’s authors complain that exports to Europe have been hampered by a European ban on the use of diphenylamine (DPA), a substance used to extend the shelf life of fruit. In Canada, apples are actually submerged in a solution of water and DPA, guaranteeing their preservation at low temperatures for an entire year.

Health hazard Exposure to APD was re-evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2008. concluded that the available data are insufficient to define the toxicological risk to the population from consumption of foods with a residue limit of 5 ppm. Following this scientific risk assessment, the European Commission banned the use of DPA. So for all pesticides banned in the EU – the maximum limit is 0.01 ppm (parts per million) this measure came into effect from 2.3.14.

Canadians The report’s authors call the move unfair. Maintaining the residual diphenylamine limit in apples at 5 ppm. They cite an even milder level planned for the US (10 ppm) to support their thesis. And they want to use CETA to standardize pesticide limits downward. By removing what they considered to be ‘too severe’ what in their view qualified as unfair barriers to trade with Europe.

Very hard wheat, faults of Italy. Cold

At one of the program points The report clearly mentions the ‘Italian problem’. The mistake Bell Pies made in 2017 would be to recommendA compelling indication of the origin of semolina and wheat On pasta labels (COOL, Country of origin labeling) a protectionist act, according to the Canadians, that makes ‘allegations’ against Goldretty.

Glyphosate – Canadian farmers work Even at the post-harvest stage (prohibited in the EU instead) – and information relating to you Health hazards And environment subject to further protests from Canadian lobbyists. Who defines such messages fake news (!). However, on closer inspection:

1) Labeling The origin of wheat in pasta It was already contestedFrom Canada and the United States, at WTO headquarters. This is an unenforceable ruleThe notification of technical standards to Brussels lacked intelligence as it was implemented without respecting EU rules. However, information on the origin and source of wheat in pasta is provided on a voluntary basis to respond to demands for transparency from Italian consumers,

2) Export crisis Canadian wheat imports from Italy rose from $173 million in 2017 to nearly $93 million in 2018. This is no doubt amplified by reports of pasta’s origins on the label and well-founded concerns about pesticide residues in grains. But Canadian wheat exports to Italy have been declining for years. From 557 million dollars in 2014, it rose to 460 million in 2015 and 322 million in 2016. Italian consumers have been learning the value of food sovereignty for at least five years, and no amount of top-down imposition can reverse this trend.

3) As the brand fake news The widespread fear of Italian consumers consuming pasta (or lentils) with residues of Monsanto’s herbicide is simply absurd. And after several US courts They approved The serious danger of the world’s best-selling pesticide. Not forgetting the many studies that confirm its importance Harmful to microbes too and the life of bees.

Canadian Associations In that logic, instead of promoting the proper use of pesticides by farmers Sustainable agriculture It should revive the whole planet – instead they are only concerned with recommending farmers ‘tricks’ to keep pesticide residues ‘under penalty’. To this end, the Canadian Grains Association has launched a temporary website, Keeping it clean. Also, even on its corporate website, Threat of retaliation In Canadian Imports’Their high-quality ingredients include Parmigiano Reggiano or Parma ham‘.

Dario Dongo and Marta Strinati

Note
1) Duties have been reduced to €148 per tonne for durum wheat and €93 per tonne for rye and barley grains.
2) See ‘CETA Issue Focus: Opening Opportunities for the Canadian Crop Sector‘, Stop TTIP was published by Italia

Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in International Food Law, founder of WIISE (FARE – GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.

A professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of Journal Studies on Food, he has published the collection “Reading Labels to Know What We Eat.”