eu restrictions on the use of chlorothalonil pesticide active substance g tbt n eu 625 in march 2019 colombia raised a concern regarding the non-renewal of the approval of the active substance chlorothalonil and the potential effects on the maximum residue limits mrls of the pesticides containing chlorothalonil notified by the european union in document g tbt n eu 625 on 4 december 2018. colombia had previously circulated this information as g sps gen 1695 and had raised it in the tbt committee on 6 march 2019. colombia explained that chlorothalonil was used for the control of black sigatoka and that the non-renewal of chlorothalonil would especially affect banana exports. colombias total production amounted to 1.87 million tonnes with exports worth usd 850 million and 80 of exports going to the european union. in the main producing regions of uraba magdalena and guajira the banana industry accounted for 35 000 direct and 100 000 indirect jobs. colombia was of the view that the eus measure was based on the precautionary principle and that no risk had been determined for the metabolites concerned and invited the european union to request further information and complete a risk assessment based on data not uncertainty. colombia also held that the classification decision should be taken by the european chemicals agency echa and that echas opinion should be made available before member states were asked to take a decision on the renewal of the approval of chlorothalonil. colombia questioned the measures consistency with article 2.2 of the sps agreement. colombia added that the regulatory change would also adversely impact other crops exported to the european union such as plantains cape gooseberries and cocoa which would have a major social and economic impact in the producing regions and highlighted the wide biodiversity of pests diseases and weeds in tropical agriculture. colombia requested the european union to maintain the registration of chlorothalonil and highlighted that their national banana industry required a period of at least six months to seek an alternative to this active ingredient given the lack of equally effective alternative compounds. bolivia brazil chile costa rica ecuador guatemala panama paraguay turkey and the united states echoed the concern of colombia. honduras expressed a commercial interest in the matter. several of the supporting members stressed that chlorothalonil was an effective tool for pest control especially against black sigatoka in bananas whose ban would constitute a challenge for farmers. many asked the european union to reconsider its course of action and undertake a full risk assessment allowing for a transition period and providing alternatives to protect crops. the united states recalled that an earlier instance of removal in 2014-2015 had already negatively impacted us cranberry production and exports to the european union without any apparent or measurable benefit to consumer health. the united states noted that efsa had not completed a consumer risk assessment to inform future eu action on mrls and cited uncertainty around genotoxicity as the basis for the ban. besides the lack of clarity regarding the timing of future eu action on mrls was already creating a burden for us growers who were presently making cro protection decisions for their 2019 crops. further eu mrl transition policies were insufficient for producers of commodities with long shelf lives and distribution cycles. the united states invited the european union to explain how its frequent changes in approval procedures had been limited to what was reasonable and necessary and how it had sought to minimize negative trade impacts. paraguay reported that it had classified chlorothalonil as a low-risk pesticide used for rotation in corn wheat rice and soya. efsas carcinogenicity classification was based on inconclusive arguments did not follow international standards and would create unnecessary trade restrictions. costa rica explained that it wa