  
  
G/TBT/W/717  
9 March  2020 
(20-1803) Page: 1/1 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
EUROPEAN UNION - CHLOROTHALONIL (PESTICIDE ACTIVE SUBSTANCE)  
STATEMENT BY ECUADOR TO THE COMMITTEE  
ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE  
26 AND  27 FEBRUARY  2020 
The following communication , dated  6 March  2020, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Ecuador . 
 
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1.  Ecuador thanks  Colombia and Panam a for keeping  this concern  on the  agenda . We wish to  refer 
Memb ers to  documents G/TBT/W/649  and G/TBT/W/688 , which contain the statements made by 
Ecuador on this matter  during the meetings of this  Committee held in June and November  2019, 
and request that these statements be included in the minutes of this meeting . 
2.  We must once again reiterate our concern at the non -renewal of the approval of the active  substance 
chlorothalonil in the European market , as well as at the reduction of maximum residue levels (MRLs)  for 
this product , which could have a serious impact on the produc tion and marketing  of banan as. 
3.  Bananas  are of  significant economic importance to my country , and Ecuador has therefore 
undertaken  many efforts  to produce exports  of a high quality , including through the responsible use 
plant protection products . 
4.  The banan a sector has invested in  technolog y enabling  it to reduce the  amount  and frequency of 
spray ing plant protection products , which are key to ensuring that  this important food item reach es 
European consumers and satisf ies demand.  
5.  Despite these efforts , Ecuador is one of many countries where the impact of climate change is 
already being felt . As highlighted  in a recent FAO study on the sustainability of  banan as1, heavier  
winter rainfall and increase d flooding , combined with higher  temperatures , have led to a prolifera tion 
of fungi and insects, the most harmful  being  black sigatoka, for which  chlorothalonil is a crucial tool . 
6.  Ecuador submitted comments  on EU notifica tion G/TBT/N/EU/625 . In its  reply, dated  
5 February  2019, the EU indicated that the assessment conducted  by EFSA did not  provide  
conclusive scientific data showing  that metabolites of chlorothalonil will contaminate groundwater 
and have genotoxic effects on  consum ers. 
7.  As a result , and to avoid  unnece ssarily disrupting  food production in developing countries , 
Ecuador requests  that the EU, prior to making  a decision to reduce  MRLs for chlorothalonil , conduct  
a risk assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures  and maintain current MRLs until there is full  scientific data to support the setting of MRLs 
different from those established by the Codex Alimenta rius. 
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1 Elbehri, A., G. Calberto, C. Staver, A. Hospido, L. Roibas, D. Skully, P. Siles, J. Arguello, I. Sotomayor, 
and A. Bustamante. 2016. Ecuador 's banana sector under climate change: An economic and biophysical 
assessment to promote a sustainable and climate -compatible strategy . Food and Agriculture Organization of 
the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy.  