The buyer's country sets the limit, not the seller's.
A Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) is the most pesticide a food may legally carry, in mg/kg. It is a trading standard built on good farming practice. A lot can be safe to eat and still be turned back at the border.
Three separate questions decide whether a lot can ship: Is the pesticide registered for this crop in India? Does the residue meet the destination's MRL? Does the shipment meet the destination's other food-safety and import rules?
India reports the EU limit for tricyclazole on rice fell a hundredfold.
Tricyclazole is a common blast fungicide in Indian paddy. In Parliament in July 2024, the Government of India stated that the EU lowered its rice MRL from 1.0 to 0.01 mg/kg. A spray schedule that passed before can now fail, even with the same waiting period.
mg/kg, linear scale: the lower bar is one hundredth of the upper one. Status: desk-checked against a government statement; the EU legal text (thought to be Reg. (EU) 2017/983) has not yet been verified by us. Source: Government of India reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1314, 30 Jul 2024. Check the EU Pesticides Database for the value in force today.
What applies when no specific MRL exists
| Market | Authority | No specific MRL means | Check here |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Reg. (EC) 396/2005; border checks under Reg. 2019/1793 | 0.01 mg/kg default for products listed in Annex I without a specific MRL (Art. 18(1)(b)) | EU Pesticides Database |
| United Kingdom | HSE, retained Reg. 396/2005 | 0.01 mg/kg default; some values now differ from the EU | GB MRL database |
| Japan | Food Sanitation Act, Positive List System (2006) | 0.01 ppm uniform limit, except exempted substances and items with their own limit; processed food included | MHLW |
| United States | EPA tolerances (40 CFR 180), enforced by FDA | No general default. A residue must be covered by an EPA tolerance or exemption for that commodity; otherwise the food is adulterated | eCFR Part 180 |
| Codex | Codex Alimentarius, JMPR | Reference used by many Gulf, Asian and African buyers | Codex database |
| India | FSSAI, Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations 2011 | 0.01 mg/kg where no MRL is fixed; FSSAI states 0.1 mg/kg applies on spices only for pesticides not registered in India. Confirm against the current consolidated regulation. | FSSAI regulations; CIB&RC labels |
A default applies only where no specific limit has been set for that pesticide on that commodity, and each market has exceptions. It does not tell you the limit for any particular pesticide and crop. Look up the specific entry in the official database before advising.
What changed for Indian exports
The EU is moving import limits down to the limit of quantification for pesticides banned in Europe, even on environmental grounds.
| Applies from | Change and source | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 → | EU proposal to align import limits with EU production rules; impact study Aug 2026 (AGRINFO) | Not law yet. More EU-banned pesticides could drop to about 0.01 mg/kg on imports. |
| 30 Jun 2026 | Reg. (EU) 2026/1206, amending Reg. 2019/1793 | Indian cumin: identity and physical checks for pesticide residues reported as raised from 30% to 50% of consignments; Indian cinnamon moved to Annex I for ethylene oxide. Percentages are from a published summary; confirm in the regulation's annex. |
| 12 May 2026 | Acetamiprid on honey raised to 1 mg/kg (AGRINFO) | Relief for honey; lower limits on many fruits and vegetables remain from Jan 2025. |
| 7 Mar 2026 | Clothianidin and thiamethoxam cut to the limit of quantification, Reg. 2023/334 (USDA FAS) | Tea, coffee, rice, fruit, vegetables and animal products. Both are common in Indian paddy and vegetable sprays. |
| Early 2026 | Reg. (EU) 2026/194 | Indian rice and okra still under increased checks for pesticide residues, according to the regulation's recitals. Confirm the current annex scope. |
| 12 May 2025 | Thiacloprid import tolerances removed, Reg. 2024/2711 (Eurofins) | Any measurable thiacloprid risks rejection. |
| Standing | Tricyclazole on rice cut from 1.0 to 0.01 mg/kg and chlorpyrifos at 0.01 mg/kg on rice, as stated by the Government of India (EU legal text not yet verified) (Lok Sabha reply) | The main cause of basmati rejections. |
| Standing | Ethylene oxide: 0.02 mg/kg on chilli and mandatory testing for EU and UK since 2022, as stated in the Spices Board circular (Spices Board) | Never use ethylene oxide to sterilise or fumigate. Testing also mandatory for Singapore and Hong Kong. |
Border-check frequencies and lists change several times a year and apply to specific products and countries. Check the regulation in force before shipping. Each claim and its check date is listed in the source register.
Where Indian lots fail most often
Rice
EU, UK, China. Work with APEDA and basmati export programmes.
Spices
Chilli, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, curry leaves. Spices Board pre-shipment testing is mandatory.
Tea
Some molecules are legal on Indian tea but have no EU limit. Follow the Tea Board Plant Protection Code.
Grapes and pomegranate
APEDA GrapeNet and AnarNet residue monitoring, authorised labs only.
Okra, chilli, vegetables
Okra remains under EU increased checks. Use HortiNet and recognised pack houses.
Farmed shrimp
Banned in India for food animals. In January 2026 MPEDA traced antibiotic residues found in export consignments to more than 40 farms in four states, as reported by South First.