The INC participated in the Workshop on Agri-Food Supply Chains in Cross-Border Trade of Nuts and Dried Fruits, held on September 11-13, 2018, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The workshop was hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and counted with the support of the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and other organizations whose work promotes international cooperation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has received several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan notified the World Trade Organization of the Summary of the Revision of the Pesticide Registration System.

India has extended by 45 days the imposition of higher customs duties on 29 products imported from the US, including almonds and walnuts.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India notified the World Trade Organization of the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Amendment Regulations 2018.

The Updated Blocking Statute in support of Iran nuclear deal entered into force on August 7, 2018. The Blocking Statute pursues the goal of mitigating the impact of the first batch of re-imposed US sanctions on Iran on the interests of EU companies doing legitimate business in Iran.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the Reasoned Opinion on “Setting of import tolerances for mandestrobin in strawberries and table and wine grapes”.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the Reasoned Opinion on “Review of the existing maximum residue levels for napropamide according to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005”.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the Reasoned Opinion on “Review of the existing maximum residue levels for myclobutanil according to Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005”.

On July 25, 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the 2016 European Union Report on Pesticide Residues in Food, finding that more than 96% of the samples analyzed were found to be within legal limits; around 51% were free of any quantifiable residues.