Draft Commission Regulation amending Annexes II, III and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for desmedipham, etridiazole, flurtamone, profoxydim, difenacoum and potassium permanganate in or on certain products

Update

The EU proposes to set the MRLs for etridiazole to the limit of determination (LOD, the lowest level that can be detected using the most modern and reliable analytical methods) for all products. There will be impacts on strawberries, peppers, cucurbits with edible peel, and cotton seeds.

Impacted Products

strawberries, sweet peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, gherkins, courgettes, cotton seeds

What is changing?

The EU proposes to set the MRLs for etridiazole to the LOD for all products (see Table 1). Where technical progress in terms of advances in analytical techniques allows lower LODs to be achieved, the LODs will be reduced accordingly.

Why?

Etridiazole is no longer permitted for use in the EU. The existing MRLs set for etridiazole have therefore been deleted and set to the LOD.

For some substances, advances in analytical techniques allow lower LODs, and in these cases the new MRLs will be set at these lower achievable levels.

Timeline

Expected adoption date: January 2024.

Expected entry into force: February 2024.

The new MRLs will apply from approximately August 2024 – the precise date will be known once the Regulation is published.

Recommended Actions

Competent authorities of countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can submit comments on the EU proposal by emailing the EU SPS Enquiry Point until 5 September 2023.

Exporters of affected products should review their current use of etridiazole and evaluate possible alternative solutions in anticipation of these MRL changes.

Background

MRLs are set in accordance with the rules set out in Regulation 396/2005. For information on current MRLs for other substances, please consult the EU Pesticide Residues database.

Sources

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