The European Commission notified the World Trade Organization of the Draft Commission Regulation (EU) amending Annexes II and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl in or on certain products.

On December 9, 2019, the European Commission published the Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2094 of 29 November 2019 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 as regards the extension of the approval periods of the active substances benfluralin, dimoxystrobin, fluazinam, flutolanil, mancozeb, mecoprop-P, mepiquat, metiram, oxamyl and pyraclostrobin.

On December 12, 2019, the European Commission published a set of regulations and a directive regarding official controls which apply from December 14, 2019.

On January 1, 2020, the European Commission published the Council Regulation (EU) 2019/2197 of 19 December 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 1387/2013 suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial products.

On December 17, 2019, the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Partnership Agreement was extended until December 31, 2020.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the Reasoned Opinion on the Modification of the existing maximum residue levels for spirotetramat in small fruits and berries.

On December 4, 2019, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched a public consultation on the Draft Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in food.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients.

On December 18, 2019, China announced a 2020 tariff adjustment plan, including tentative import tariff rates, which lowered the applied Most Favored Nation (MFN) import tariffs for certain nuts, among other agricultural products.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established new tolerances for residues of fenpyroximate and flutianil in or on multiple commodities.