Only in the first half of June, a series of new SPS regulations from major markets emerged. The EU continues to maintain control over 4 Vietnamese commodities, while South Korea tightens quarantine on seeds and honey, forcing enterprises to prepare immediately to avoid being passive.

During the first half of June 2026, the Vietnam SPS Office recorded 43 notifications regarding food safety and animal and plant quarantine from WTO members, including 18 drafts for comments and 25 regulations that have already entered into force. Behind those figures is a series of changes directly touching upon Vietnam's export goods.

4 Vietnamese commodities remain in the EU's "crosshairs"

The European Union has just issued Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1206 dated June 9, 2026, amending Regulation 2019/1793 on the temporary increase of official controls and emergency measures governing the entry into the Union of certain goods from third countries. The regulation is expected to take effect from June 30, 2026.

This amendment round does not change the inspection frequency for Vietnamese goods compared to the list currently in application. The EU continues to maintain control over four products. Fresh or frozen durians are still subject to a 20% inspection rate for plant protection drug residues. Okra and peppers of the genus Capsicum (other than sweet) are subject to a 50% frequency, and dragon fruits are at 30%. These 3 commodities, upon entry into the EU, must be accompanied by an official certificate along with sampling and analysis results for each batch.

In other words, the control levels have not been relaxed, and enterprises still have to prepare full certification dossiers as before. In the same round, the EU added Argentinian peanuts to the 20% inspection category due to aflatoxin risks, while increasing the frequency for Indian cumin seeds, Sri Lankan yardlong beans, and tahini and halva from Syria, demonstrating that the EU is heavily tightening control on commodity groups carrying risks of mycotoxins and residues.

South Korea erects additional barriers against seeds and honey

Starting September 5, 2026, all batches of seeds for planting and pollen used for pollination imported into South Korea must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of the exporting country, regardless of quantity or transport mode.

This is a significant change compared to the old mechanism, which allowed the import of small quantities via hand luggage, post, or express courier without certification if prior approval was obtained. The reason provided by South Korea is the continuous detection of unauthorized genetically modified organisms and quarantine pests in seed batches traveling via post and hand luggage. A few exceptions are still maintained within certain limits if pre-approved, such as mushroom spawn not exceeding 10 units, seed potatoes/sweet potatoes not exceeding 20 tubers, other seed bulbs not exceeding 100 units, and spores not exceeding 100 g.

Concurrently, South Korea has added honey and bee-made pollen to the import animal quarantine list, effective November 27, 2026. When exported to South Korea, these products must be accompanied by a Veterinary Quarantine Certificate. Irradiated products must be treated at a licensed facility using gamma rays from Co-60 or an electron beam not exceeding 10 MeV, with an absorbed dose of 15 kGy. Non-irradiated products are subject to much stricter conditions: the beekeeping facility must have no detection of harmful parasitic mites within a 50 km radius and no records of bee diseases such as American foulbrood, European foulbrood, and Nosema within a 10 km radius, lasting for at least two years prior to export quarantine. Shipments failing to qualify may be re-exported or destroyed. Honey enterprises targeting the South Korean market need to start reviewing their farming zones and epidemiological records right from now.

Other markets to watch closely

The United States accounted for up to 6 notifications in this round, primarily related to plant protection drug residue levels, within which there are 2 notable points for Vietnamese goods.

First, the United States has issued a final rule on the maximum residue limit for Propylene Oxide at 300 ppm on sesame seeds, dried turmeric, dried ginger, dried bell peppers, and dried chili peppers not belonging to the bell pepper group, effective May 29, 2026. This is favorable news for spice enterprises, as the regulation creates a clear legal basis for the trade of these commodities.

Second, in the draft group currently open for comments, the United States proposed prescribing a mancozeb residue limit on longan fruits at 15 ppm and an import residue limit for trifloxystrobin on avocados at 0.5 ppm. The United States noted that some levels may differ from Codex due to being based on data submitted to the EPA. The deadlines for comments are July 13 and July 15, 2026, respectively; longan and fruit commodity enterprises and associations have room to respond if they find themselves affected.

For the Japanese market, starting January 1, 2027, the import of live rabbits and live honeybees into Japan must be notified at least 40 days in advance to the Animal Quarantine Service of Japan. Japan also added Lumpy skin disease in cattle to the list of domestic animal infectious diseases subject to control and adjusted the treatment mechanism for pigs contracting Classical swine fever, while expanding the list of freshwater fish managed under the Invasive Alien Species Act.

Brazil updated 24 active ingredient monographs via ANVISA Guide No. 449, adjusting residue limits for a series of active ingredients such as boscalid, lambda-cyhalothrin, chlorantraniliprole, and profenofos on multiple fruit and vegetable groups; enterprises exporting to Brazil should crosscheck the applicable MRL levels.

Australia announced the transition of its meat export certification document system from EXDOC to NEXDOC, accompanied by real-time validation QR codes, expected to launch on July 6, 2026. Turkey promulgated regulations on novel foods, notably refusing to accept dossiers for novel foods originating from pigs and insects. Colombia drafted a ban on veterinary drugs containing critical antimicrobial substances, with a comment deadline of August 14, 2026.

For drafts still within the comment period, SPS Vietnam recommends that enterprises and industry associations proactively send feedback through the Office focal point before the regulations are adopted. This is a narrow but substantive window to protect the interests of Vietnamese export goods.

Source: Vnbusiness