G/TBT/W/612  
22 March  2019 
(19-1798) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
EUROPEAN UNION - CHLOROTHALONIL (PESTICIDE ACTIVE SUBSTANCE)  
STATEMENT BY COSTA RICA TO THE COMMITTEE ON  
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE  
6 AND 7 MARCH 2019  
The following communication , dated  21 March  2019, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Costa Rica . 
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1.  Costa Rica supports the trade concern raised by Colombia with regard to the draft Implementing 
Regulation proposed by the European Union concerning the non -renewal of the approval of the active 
substance chlorothalonil . 
2.  The use of this active substance is an essential part of agricultural production in Costa Rica . 
The non-renewal of its approval would cause serious problems for the Costa Rican product ion sector, 
as there are currently no substitute or similar phytosanitary products  with a better environmental 
or toxicological profile.  
3.  Chlorothalonil is used to control pests of economic importance , particularly in the production of 
bananas . Costa Rica is the world's second largest exporter of bananas , with sales amounting to an 
estimated  USD 1  billion , represent ing around 2% of GDP and 38.6 % of agricultural GDP . Banana 
production in the country also creates 40,000 direct jobs and around 100,000 indirect jobs. The main 
destination for exports is the E uropean Union, where over 50 % of the fruit produced in Costa Rica 
is sent , which further illustrates the impact that the implementation of this measure would have.  
4.  The measure proposed by the European Union is  based on the alleged risk that chlorothalonil 
may pose to both  health and the environment . In this regard, it is important to point out that 
domestic producers apply good agricultural practices based on the requirements established by 
widely -recognized certification  organizations  such as Global Gap, Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade.  
5.  Furthermore , extensive sampling of bananas conducted by the Laboratory for the Analysis of 
Agrochemical Residues of the State Phytosanitary Service has demonstrate d the absence of 
chlorothalonil residues, thus confirming that good practices have been applied and that there are no 
risks to health or the environment.  
6.  Lastly, I wish to emphasize that the non -renewal of the approval of chlorothalonil  proposed by 
the European Uni on is not based on a risk assessment, as required under Article 2.2 of the 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) . This non -renewal has been put forward 
on the basis of concerns and issues for which no conclusive results have been obtaine d, as indicated 
by the European Union in its notification of the measure.  
7.  Chlorothalonil was previously approved for use in the production of agricultural goods intended 
for the European Union . On the basis of this approval, our farmers  began using the substance in 
banana  production . A significant number of jobs in less developed areas depend on this crop. G/TBT/W/612  
- 2 - 
  8.  Lastly , Costa Rica strongly urges the European Union to carry out a risk assessment before 
implementing the non -renewal of the approval of chlorothalonil . Furthermore, any discussion  on the 
possible  public health effects related to this substance should be held within the multilateral 
framework, as part of the work carried out in the Codex Alimentarius, which has established  the 
permitted chlorothalonil to lerances for different agricultural products.  
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