Finland rejects 104000 kilos of Israeli oranges with banned pesticide

Authorities rejected eight consignments of oranges since February due to the discovery of bromopropylate, which has been banned in the EU.

Finnish customs have rejected approximately 104,000 kilograms of oranges imported from Israel in recent months, after discovering the presence of a banned pesticide.

Authorities said they had examined and rejected eight consignments of oranges since February due to the discovery of bromopropylate, a pesticide used to repel mites and ticks in citrus fruit and other crops.

The chemical has been banned by the European Union since 2011 over consumer safety fears.

Customs authorities said they had not found bromopropylate in imported produce for several years. Eight of 16 consignments of Israeli oranges examined by mid-April were found to contain the pesticide.

“We examine the first consignments that arrive in Finland always at the start of a new harvest season,” said Jonna Neffing, head of product safety at Finnish Customs.  

“As we discovered problems with the consignments, we decided to continue with controls until the end of the orange harvest season in Israel. Most likely we will also conduct intensified controls during the next harvest season as well.”

Oranges identified as not complying with regulations were prevented from entering the market, Finnish authorities said, with examinations taking place while the produce was stored at importer warehouses.

“We have not found bromopropylate in any of the products we have examined for several years,” said Suvi Ojanperä, head of the Finnish Customs division responsible for chemical examinations of foodstuffs. “Its presence in Israeli oranges this year was a surprise,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that it would learn the details of the Finnish Customs announcement and comment in due course.

~ Via The Jerusalem Post