The main objective of EU plant health legislation is to protect the safety of food derived from plants and to secure the health and quality status of crops in all member states.

It also regulates the trade of plants and plant products within the EU as well as imports from the rest of the world in accordance with international plant health standards and obligations.

The EU supervises the sale and use of plant protection products, or pesticides and sets standards to monitor and control pesticide residues. It implements preventative measures to guard against the introduction and spread of organisms harmful to plants or plant products within the EU. It also ensures quality conditions for the sale of seeds and propagating material within the EU.

EU legislation also covers the intellectual property rights granted to plant varieties, as well as the conservation and use of genetic resources.