08-05-26 /
Corporate Communication
With the adoption of Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/840, the European Union finally settles a matter that has been ongoing for more than a decade and affected one of the key tools in plant protection: copper. For agriculture the outcome is very positive, as it establishes higher maximum residue levels for several crops and gives a signal of renewed confidence in the responsible use of this element.
Starting in 2013, the European Union began a process of reviewing the maximum residue levels of copper in food matrices (MRLs). The reason is well known: copper is used in agriculture for crop protection and nutrition, but,above all, copper is a natural element and an essential micronutrient, ubiquitous in the environment and in foods, independently of agricultural treatments.
This dual nature has always made its regulatory assessment complex, because Reg. (EC) 1107/2009 and related guidelines are thought for synthetic chemicals. A critical moment came in 2018, when a review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) highlighted a potential theoretical exceedance of safety thresholds for long‑term consumer exposure. However, the analysis also highlights a paradox: the majority of dietary copper intake originates from copper naturally present in food (background or endogenous copper) rather than from agriculture’s source.
Recognising the paradox and the need for an ad-hoc approach for micronutrients, the European Commission decided to launch an appropriate in‑depth scientific review, as it happened for the environmental risk back in 2019 (when the Commission asked EFSA to revise the environmental risk assessment models for transitional metals)
Between 2023 and 2025, EFSA’s assessments led to a substantial revision of previous outcomes and of the earlier regulatory approach. It was established that:
At the end, it became clear that the issue was not the agronomic use of copper, but rather the method used to assess the risk according to Reg.1107.
The most important aspect for calculating MRLs is the concept of ‘total copper’, meaning that copper derived from agricultural use and copper naturally present in the food constitute a single, inseparable entity.
The case of wine and table grapes is emblematic: the limit is doubled (from 50 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg), safeguarding a strategic sector for European agriculture. MRLs have also been increased for tomatoes, apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, peaches, and potatoes.
This outcome can be read as a return to common sense: copper remains a tool to be used with, responsibly, but it is no longer unfairly questioned. Its natural ubiquity in the environment and its role as a micronutrient are now acknowledged.
For those who work in the agricultural sectorevery day, the message is clear: copper can continue to play a stable and key role within modern, sustainable and responsible agriculture.
