AGRINFO–South Africa Webinar on EU agri-food regulations

COLEAD’s AGRINFO programme collaborated with the South African Embassy in Brussels and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to host an informative webinar on “Supporting your monitoring of & compliance with EU law”. The event on 24 January, which focused on the EU-funded agrinfo.eu website and pesticide-related EU legislation, saw participation from over 40 competent authorities, regulatory affairs, and agri-food associations in South Africa.

Morag Webb and Chris Downes of COLEAD emphasised the critical role of AGRINFO in offering clear and timely information to prevent trade disruptions. They explained the EU’s process of reviewing and adjusting maximum residue limits (MRLs) due to increasing pesticide levels in food products, underlining the importance for non-EU countries of understanding these new regulations and their potential impacts.

Mr Mpho Sekgala, Acting Director, Food Import and Export Standards, presented the South African Agricultural Biosecurity System. He stressed the significance of meeting market standards, especially for the EU market, and the role of MRLs in ensuring consumer health. And he highlighted the responsibilities of exporters and producers in maintaining chemical usage records and adhering to export protocols.

This webinar was organised as part of the AGRINFO programme, implemented by COLEAD and funded by the European Union (EU).