EU Council sets position on pesticide residues and plant protection rules
The EU Council has agreed its negotiating mandate for new food and feed rules. What it proposes for maximum residue levels and plant protection products – and why nothing has changed yet.
On 30 September 2026, the Council of the European Union agreed its negotiating mandate on the so-called Omnibus X package for food and feed safety. The text covers pesticide residues and the approval of plant protection products, among other areas. The key qualification is that the Council position is not yet applicable law. Once the European Parliament has adopted its own position, the institutions can negotiate the final wording.
What the Council agreed
The mandate defines the position the Council will take into negotiations with the European Parliament. The package aims to simplify procedures and reduce administrative burdens without lowering the health and environmental protection standards stated by the EU.
The Council decision therefore changes neither supermarket limits nor food labels today. The Commission submitted the proposal, and the Council has amended and supplemented it. A final legal act will only emerge if the Council and Parliament adopt a common text.
A maximum residue level is not an arbitrary limit
A maximum residue level, or MRL, is the highest legally tolerated concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food or feed. It is set for particular active substances and commodities. Official controls check whether products comply with these requirements.
MRLs are based on pesticide use according to authorised agricultural practice and on a consumer risk assessment. Exceeding one is a legal non-compliance, but does not automatically mean an acute health effect. Conversely, compliance does not state that a substance is literally absent.
What “technical zero” means
For certain hazardous active substances that may no longer be used in the EU, the package envisages lowering existing MRLs to “technical zero”. The Council wants this to happen only after a prior impact assessment. It extends the approach to substances whose approved use poses an unacceptable risk to honeybees or groundwater.
“Technical zero” refers to an analytically achievable lower limit, not a promise that no molecule exists. The specific value depends on the substance, commodity and measurement method. The mandate also allows transitional provisions for products that complied with the previous MRL, with the aim of limiting avoidable food waste.
Longer approval periods for active substances
For plant protection active substances, the Council position generally provides 15 years for a first approval and 25 years for subsequent renewals. Low-risk active substances and products would receive unlimited approvals or authorisations. A fast-track route is envisaged for biological control products.
Protection for tests and studies would also be extended: from 10 to 13 years for regular products and from 13 to 15 years for low-risk products. Longer periods are intended to reduce repeated procedures, but should not be confused with the removal of scientific monitoring.
Which safeguards are envisaged
Under the mandate, the European Food Safety Authority would regularly review scientific literature, monitoring data and other signals. New evidence could therefore be assessed between formal approval decisions. A cautious approach remains envisaged for particularly concerning hazard classes.
Whether these mechanisms remain exactly as written will be decided in the negotiations. A sound assessment must therefore keep the Council mandate, the future Parliament position and the eventual compromise separate.
What consumers should know now
The Council decision does not immediately change shopping or preparation. Existing maximum residue levels and controls continue to apply. A press release about a negotiating mandate is neither a product recall nor evidence that fruit and vegetables are generally unsafe.
Washing and, where appropriate, peeling can reduce dirt and some surface residues, but cannot replace official controls and will not remove every substance. Eat a varied selection and follow specific authority warnings. Find inspiration in our vegetable recipes and recipes by ingredient.
Conclusion: a political interim step, not a new shopping rule
The Council combines procedural simplification with changes to MRL policy and longer approval periods. The design of “technical zero”, the impact assessment and continuous scientific scrutiny merit particular attention. The European Parliament must now adopt its position; according to the Council, negotiations should ideally finish by the end of 2026. Only the final legal act will show which rules actually apply.
Sources and update
- Council of the European Union: press release on the negotiating mandate for food and feed safety, 30 September 2026.
- Council of the European Union: full negotiating mandate ST 13785/26 dated 30 September 2026.
- European Commission: background on maximum residue levels for pesticides.
- European Commission: explanation of the simplification package for pesticides and MRLs.
Author: Kochzauber editorial team. Information updated on 1 October 2026. This article explains an ongoing EU legislative process and is not legal or health advice. The cover is an editorial symbolic image.