Harvesting dragon fruits in Lâm Đồng Province. The EU is drafting new rules to tighten maximum residue limits for eight pesticide active ingredients for imported fruits from other countries, including Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Agricultural exporters need to adapt proactively to diverging sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements as the European Union (EU) tightens food safety controls, officials say, adding that compliance has become essential to maintaining access to key export markets.

According to Ngô Xuân Nam, deputy head of the Vietnam SPS Office, the EU is drafting new rules to tighten maximum residue limits for eight pesticide active ingredients. The regulation is expected to be published in March 2027 and take effect six months later.

The EU always provides a transition period to allow exporting countries time to adjust production.

Analysis by the Vietnam SPS Office indicates that some proposed residue limits would be reduced significantly. For example, Việt Nam currently allows a maximum residue level of 10 parts per million (ppm) for the active ingredient profenofos in tomatoes, while the EU is proposing to lower the limit to 0.01-0.05 ppm.

Similarly, proposed limits for certain citrus fruits and strawberries would be reduced to around 0.01 ppm. Nam said such low thresholds would require producers to follow pesticide application guidelines rigorously if they want to retain access to the EU market.

Among the eight active ingredients under review, some have already been banned in Việt Nam, and the EU has not detected them in Vietnamese export shipments. Others, however, remain approved for domestic use and will require continued monitoring.

Under the EU's latest import control regime, four Vietnamese plant products remain subject to increased border inspections: durian, dragon fruit, okra and chilli peppers.

Inspection rates are set at 20 per cent for durian, 30 per cent for dragon fruit, and 50 per cent for okra and chilli peppers, with shipments also required to include pesticide residue analysis certificates.

Managing compliance at source

Việt Nam previously had seven products subject to enhanced controls. Increased oversight has helped reduce that number to four.

Nam said that during a meeting with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) in May 2026, the Vietnam SPS Office requested that inspection frequencies for dragon fruit be reduced after no Vietnamese shipments were found in violation during the first half of the year.

The EU bases inspection frequencies on risk assessments. If exporters maintain effective pesticide residue controls, inspection rates may be reduced every six months. Conversely, repeated violations could result in stricter checks.

Nam said exporters should closely monitor market-specific requirements, noting that residue limits vary by commodity and cannot be applied uniformly across different agricultural products. Failure to keep pace with evolving standards could jeopardise access to some of Việt Nam's most valuable export markets.

Hồ Trúc Thanh, deputy director of HCM City's Department of Agriculture and Environment, said SPS regulations should be viewed not only as mandatory import requirements but also as an opportunity to strengthen national governance, standardise production and build the international reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products.

Đào Thu Vinh, executive director of CropLife Vietnam, stressed the importance of managing compliance from the production stage.

To meet SPS requirements in the EU and the UK, compliance must begin at the farm level, as the cost of prevention is far lower than the cost of addressing violations after shipments are flagged at border inspections, she said.

Harvesting chilli peppers in Lâm Đồng Province. Under the EU's latest import control regime, four Vietnamese plant products remain subject to increased border inspections: durian, dragon fruit, okra and chilli peppers. VNA/VNS Photo

Standards are diverging

Meeting SPS requirements is no longer simply a technical obligation. It has become a prerequisite for maintaining market access, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring the sustainable development of Việt Nam's agricultural sector, according to Ngô Hồng Phong, director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development and head of the Vietnam SPS Office.

Global agricultural trade is shifting toward greater transparency, standardised production and quality control across the entire value chain. As a result, effective implementation of commitments under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) requires exporters not only to capitalise on tariff preferences but also to comply with stricter rules on pesticide residues, traceability and sustainability.

The EU and the UK remain key export markets for Việt Nam's agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector. In 2025, exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products to the EU reached about US$9.28 billion, accounting for about 13 per cent of the sector's total exports and ranking third after China and the US.

EU requirements now extend beyond traditional SPS standards to include digitalisation, data transparency and sustainability. Exporters that fail to keep pace with regulatory changes and maintain complete documentation throughout the production, processing and export chain risk losing market access or facing shipment disruptions.

Nam said over the past five years, the EU had repeatedly revised its SPS measures, focusing on lowering maximum residue limits for pesticides, updating food additive regulations and expanding the list of regulated plant pests.

Following the UK's departure from the EU, Việt Nam has implemented the EVFTA with the EU and the UKVFTA with Great Britain. Initially, the UK's SPS framework largely mirrored EU rules, but differences have begun to emerge, according to Nam.

While the EU continues to reduce pesticide residue limits to strengthen food safety controls, the UK has moved to relax limits for certain active ingredients. Exporters should take these differences into account when planning shipments.

Differences are also beginning to emerge within the EU itself. Whereas SPS measures were previously applied uniformly across all 27 member states, some countries have started introducing stricter national requirements.

Germany, for example, has adopted SPS measures that exceed EU-wide standards. As a result, products that comply with EU regulations may not necessarily circulate freely across all member states. The Vietnam SPS Office has raised the issue with the EU through bilateral SPS Committee meetings.

Nam said differing national regulations were a normal feature of international trade, but exporters must understand those differences and adjust production accordingly. — VNS