The CDU politician denied that it is fighting for food imports with pesticides. After taz-research, one of the options.

Controversial means: a pesticide sprayer in use on a field near Göttingen photo: Steven Lüdtke/dpa

BERLIN taz | Fights Federal food Minister Julia Klöckner to ensure that food imports may particularly contain harmful pesticides that are banned in the EU? The CDU politician has denied such reports. After further research, the taz is your Ministry pulled back, however, the most important document for your denial.

"Germany and the Federal Ministry of food and agriculture have no time – as it is called today in the press reporting – used to report on imports to allow with such pesticides," said Klöckner on Twitter first. You threw Renate Künast, food policy spokeswoman of the Green Bundestag group, to prepare a breeding ground for "Hate Speech", because they had a taz-article with the allegations. The author of the Minister, to have something that "without the me to talked to the accused".

The taz, and in a separate Report, the Organisation Corporate Europe Observatory had reported on Monday that Germany had with Austria and other member States at an EU meeting in 2018, however, certain arable poisons automatically in the imports to be prohibited. These pesticides may not be sprayed in the European Union, because they cause cancer, genetic damage, reproductive or hormone system disturbing. Currently, some of these arable toxins are still registered in imports.

taz had can not speak personally with Klöckner about it, but the usual way in the press of your Ministry position requested. This confirmed, it would be in "for a risk-based assessment of residues". This means that If the authorities decide a threshold, when you exclude the adverse health effects must be included, the pesticide up to this amount in imports.

critics fear that the Offices can dangerous food on the market, if you have to decide under pressure from the chemical lobby on each import tolerance individually. Pesticide manufacturers such as Bayer and BASF, are fighting for a risk assessment and with an automatic ban. Klöckner supports the Argument that the rules of the world demanded a trade organisation to consider the risk in each individual case. This interpretation, however, is controversial.

After the reports were published, claimed Klöckner, the risk-based assessment led "in the past, a rejection of all applications for the import tolerance" for the because of the exclusion criteria prohibited the use of pesticides. "This shows that the procedure in Brussels, which correspond to the law, to ensure effective the greatest possible protection of consumers."

On the repeated demand of the taz Klöckners Ministry acknowledged, however, that it did not know whether there had been a after the Banned applications for import tolerances. "This was formulated in our response to misunderstanding – this is a Mistake, we apologize," wrote a spokesperson on Thursday, the taz.

Previously had refused Klöckners Ministry to prove his statement through a document. Responsible for such audits, and the EU food safety authority. Their spokesman, wrote the taz: "I can confirm that the Efsa has received a request for import tolerances for these two substances."

The would have been able to know the Ministry before, said Helmut Burtscher-damage, biochemist, of the Austrian environmental organization Global 2000. Because the current EU regulation on pesticide residues import tolerances forbid categorically, if the means for "protection of public health" was prohibited. "There must be, therefore, no risk assessment," says the biochemist.

"Klöckner has suggested that the risk has been proven based methods in many cases. That's not true,“ said Burtscher damage. "Most of the cases could be yet to come."

That the risk assessment doesn't always work, shows environmentalists, according to the case of the anti-fungicide Carbendazim: It is forbidden since the end of 2014 in the EU, because it will probably damage the genetic material and fertility. Nevertheless, it may be in food up to the limit set by the EU before the ban. The Review was also not completed 5 years after the decision, informed the Ministry of agriculture in Berlin, the taz.

"woman Klöckner trying to lead the Public with an apparently false representation, misleading. She seems to want to distract from the fact that she is working in Brussels to water down the protection against toxic food imports,“ said Harald Ebner, Green member of the Bundestag and an expert in agricultural matters.

Austria Klöckners not support the Position: "We are not Softening in the case of return or Pesticide limits agree," said Jens Karg, technical officer for food safety in Vienna, the Ministry of health, care and protection of the consumer, the taz.