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UAE bans import of polluted Lebanese apples
5-5-2017
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed a ban on the import of vegetables and fruits from Lebanon and other countries, namely Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen due to the high concentration levels of pesticide residues. According to the Emirati Bayan newspaper, the ban targeted basically, the Lebanese apples, all varieties of fruits from Yemen, Egyptian pepper, Omani watercress, melon and carrots, as well as Jordanian cabbage, lettuce, squash, beans, eggplant and cauliflower. In an expounded statement, the Emirati ministry of environment confirmed that the ban will continue until the required safety conditions are met. In this context, Al Akhbar newspaper published a feature by food safety specialist, Dima Faour Klingbeil, who stated that above ban will primarily affect the Lebanese farmers and the disposal of the production which has become a prolonged calamity facing the sector. She attributed the reasons for non-compliance with mandatory health standards to the absence of feasibility regulations designated to counter emerging risks, and to the lack of national standards that identify good agricultural practices that should be observed by local farmers. Klingbeil pointed out that the problem is not confined to the concentration of residual chemicals, but is also related to water pollution in Lebanon. She mentioned a joint study by Plymouth University in England and the American University of Beirut on the safety of fresh veggies and comprised a sample of the farms and washing facilities that are responsible for cleaning vegetable products before transporting them to the wholesale markets. The findings of said study have indicated high rates of faeces contamination in vegetable samples (namely, lettuce, parsley and radish) that have been followed-up from the washing facilities and farmhouses in the Beqaa up to the wholesale stalls. The problem, Klingbeil concluded, is also related to untreated waste water used in irrigation. (Al Akhbar, May 5, 2017)
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- العربية
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