European Union Plans Donald Trump-Style Import Ban on Food

The European Union is preparing to restrict certain food imports from the United States to bolster domestic agriculture.

This move comes as a direct countermeasure to US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, according to the Financial Times.

The European Commission is expected to approve a review of current import limits next week. Early indications suggest that the new restrictions may focus on products like soybeans produced using pesticides that EU farmers cannot legally apply.

By enforcing these standards, the EU aims to protect its agricultural sector and ensure fair competition in the marketplace.

Officials have emphasized that these measures are designed to shield local producers from products manufactured under different environmental and safety regulations.

In doing so, the bloc seeks to create a level playing field and maintain the integrity of its domestic market.

“We have very clear signals from the parliament, very clear signals also from the member states and from our farmers: whatever is banned in the EU, it should be banned in the EU, even if it is an imported product,” European Commission’s health commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said in an interview in January.

Trump on Thursday attacked countries that blocked US products, including the EU, which he said barred shellfish from 48 of the US’s 50 states. He has threatened tariffs on those who do not change their policy.

The commission has long opposed calls from France and other member states for reciprocal treatment, arguing that it could be in breach of WTO rules. The body only allows restrictions on scientific grounds that do not discriminate against imports.

The EU bans many pesticides because they damage plants or animals — even as its health agency has ruled that some are safe to ingest at low levels. The EU plan is included in a Vision for Agriculture road map drawn up by farm commissioner Christophe Hansen. An official with knowledge of the document plans said it referenced the need to abide by international rules.

“We are only talking about the most hazardous pesticides and there will be an impact assessment to protect competitiveness before any decisions,” one official said, adding that “we need coffee and mangoes and avocados”.

Várhelyi said pesticides using carcinogens, mutagens or endocrine disrupters should not be allowed into the bloc on imported food.

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