Highlights: European Commission regulation on nicotine residues came into force on 14 September. Level of nicotine residues allowed in imported spices must not exceed 0.05 milligrams per kilo. With this regulation, nearly 80% of exported consignments of Malagasy vanilla could be refused. On the island, more than 150,000 families live off vanilla and the black pod trade can account for more than 8% of GDP. A regulation could be adopted before the end of September to review upwards this maximum limit of authorized residues.

According to a new regulation of the European Commission which came into force on Thursday 14 September, the level of nicotine residues authorised in imported spices must not exceed 0.05 milligrams...

European regulation on nicotine residues: Malagasy vanilla could be spared

According to a new European Commission regulation that came into force on Thursday 14 September, the level of nicotine residues allowed in imported spices must not exceed 0.05 milligrams per kilo, instead of 0.3 milligrams until now. This drastic hardening has caused a lot of concern in Madagascar where the island's flagship spice, vanilla, is directly impacted by this new regulation.

With this regulation, nearly 80% of exported consignments of Malagasy vanilla could be refused. © Sarah Tétaud / RFI

By: Sarah Tétaud Follow

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From our correspondent in Antananarivo,

With this new regulation, nearly 80% of exported vanilla consignments could be refused, exporters note. A disaster announced for the economy of the country whose fragrant pod is one of its main sources of foreign exchange. Faced with this situation, economic operators went on a crusade, with a precise argument: "nicotine residues found in Malagasy vanilla do not constitute a public health problem". Supporting evidence: tomatoes or eggplants retain this maximum authorized level of 0.3 milligrams of nicotine per kilo. Moreover, recalls an exporter, "vanilla is not ingested by kilos. It is used sparingly to enhance dishes."

At the same time, the Delegation of the European Union in Madagascar has continued to warn at the highest level in Brussels of the disastrous consequences of this new regulation. On the island, more than 150,000 families live off vanilla. Depending on the year, the black pod trade can account for more than 8% of GDP.

The pleas seem to have worked since barely implemented, "this rate of 0.05% will be discussed again on September 18 and 19 in Europe by a committee of experts, to help the European Commission adopt a new regulation," Isabelle Delattre, the ambassador of the European Union to Madagascar told RFI. A regulation that could be adopted before the end of September to review upwards this maximum limit of authorized residues and enter into force at the beginning of 2024, "provided", adds the ambassador, "that the European Food Safety Agency has no objection and that neither the European Parliament nor the Member States oppose this new text.

An "absolutely exceptional" measure

This revision of the regulation, barely promulgated, is an "absolutely exceptional measure that responds to the concerns expressed by economic operators and the Malagasy government," warns the diplomat. "The goal is not to play firefighters, but to anticipate. In future, there should be much more exchanges between technical operators in partner countries and in importing countries of the European Union, to avoid this kind of last-minute situation.

Why is the European Union so quick to backtrack? And why did you set such a low rate, without really taking into account the realities on the ground of the countries that will have to comply with it? "It turns out that the data (provided mainly by the European Spices Association, editor's note) that governed the setting of the maximum authorized limit did not reflect the reality of the vanilla sector and the capacity of this sector to meet such low limits," explains Isabelle Delattre.

The principle is that the maximum limit of authorized residues is fixed, not by decreeing that beyond this limit, there is a real danger to the health of consumers, but based on what is considered achievable by the industry, says the ambassador of the European Union in Madagascar. And this is where there was a mistake, because obviously, the Malagasy sector is not able to respect such low rates. So we must ask ourselves: have the experts who sit on this committee convened by the European Commission spoken with Malagasy economic operators before deciding on rates? Perhaps this is a lesson for the future.

Until the official revision of the text, the sanitary and phytosanitary services of the EU Member States have been asked to show flexibility in the application of this rate of 0.05 ml of nicotine per kilo. And exporters, to think seriously about the reasons that explain the traces of nicotine found almost systematically on vanilla.

European regulation on nicotine residues: Malagasy vanilla could be spared

European regulation on nicotine residues: Malagasy vanilla could be spared

An "absolutely exceptional" measure

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