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The North American country imports 66% of the tea produced in our country.
The Tea Association of Tea USA Inc. has warned that if progress is made to replace glyphosate with bioherbicides that are not internationally certified, it will stop buying tea produced in Misiones.
They informed the agency that 52 chemical substances are currently approved in crops worldwide and that work is underway on the approval of other substances and on the permissible limit values. It is estimated that the United States imports an average of 66% of all tea produced in Argentina.
The warning from the North Country prompted the Misiones tea workers to appeal to the provincial Supreme Court for a declaration that the law published in the official bulletin was unconstitutional. on July 4th, eliminating the use of glyphosate on tea plantations.
The Tea Association of Tea USA Inc., an organization founded in 1899 as a trade association in the United States, stated in a statement to tea manufacturers, “Tea is a healthy product, it is safe to consume and meets all regulatory safety requirements.”
From the agency, they indicated that they were aware of the new legislation that will come into force in Misiones in mid-2025, noting that “if a change would take place without establishing an import tolerance for this new, locally produced chemical , all.” Teas containing this chemical are considered adulterated in the northern country and their consumption is not permitted.
In that regard, they emphasized that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “has been evaluating the safety of glyphosate and supporting the use of glyphosate for 40 years. It has established rules that our members/importers follow, as do glyphosate plantations.” t. “We work closely with importers and suppliers, as well as conservation and sustainability organizations, to minimize the use of all plant-based inputs,” they said.
“Like most food industries, we face many challenges, including but not limited to the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act and the multitude of federal, state and local regulations and policies that affect our business.” ability to do business,” they stressed from the company.
“Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food importers into the United States are required to conduct supplier screening activities to ensure compliance with hazard analysis and risk-based preventive control regulations and to ensure products are not adulterated or mislabeled. ” they explained.
“We are currently working with the EPA, FDA, United Nations Intergovernmental Group on Tea (FAO), Codex, IR-4 and our global tea partners to establish relevant Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). So far, 52 chemicals have tolerances for tea “US industry is trying to establish additional chemical tolerances for use in tea to alleviate tea import challenges,” they noted.
“The EPA process to establish a tolerance for a new chemical takes at least 24 months. This assumes that safety, use and toxicity levels and procedures are well understood and thoroughly tested,” they said.
The Misiones government is trying to replace glyphosate with organic inputs, which manufacturers say have not yet been adequately tested and do not have INTA and SENASA approval. The development of a bioherbicide and biofertilizer is the responsibility of the private company Agro Sustentable.
The province is the main producer in the country with 29,000 hectares, 95% of the total area, followed by Corrientes. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Misiones (MAM), about 80,000 tons of tea are produced annually in the country, which is 90% of the total production of the Americas. Currently, 92% of national production is exported in bulk, mainly to the United States.
In light of the tea association’s claims, Sociedad Rural Argentina President Nicols Pino said that in the coming days they will challenge the country’s Supreme Court over the unconstitutionality of the law banning the use of glyphosate in Argentina’s tea-producing missions. As of July 4, 2025.
Pino confirmed that he would extend the complaint to all provinces that want to make changes in the form of production, and in this sense assured: “We will denounce the unconstitutionality of this famous glyphosate law, but not only against the province of Misiones, because in Chubut we the same situation.”
“It’s unconstitutional because it occurs to someone to take an action that would affect all of a province’s production,” he added after meeting with the references of various Misiones and Corrientes production chains.
Source: https://nationworldnews.com/us-warns-against-stopping-buying-argentine-tea-its-unconstitutional/
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