Maximum residue levels for carbendazim

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 benomyl, carbendazim and thiophanate‐methyl in or on certain products

Annex II

Annex III

Update

In September 2024, the European Parliament rejected a Commission Regulation that proposed to reduce the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for carbendazim to the limit of determination (LOD, the lowest level that can be detected using the most modern and reliable analytical methods) on all products except lemons, limes, mandarins, and okra. See Maximum residue levels for benomyl, carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, cyproconazole, and spirodiclofen.

The Parliament has requested the Commission to withdraw its draft Regulation and present a new one, setting the MRLs for carbendazim on all products to the LOD.

Impacted Products

Citrus fruits, grapefruits, oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, tree nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts/ cobnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nut kernels, pistachios, walnuts, pome fruits, apples, pears, quinces, medlars, loquats/ Japanese medlars, stone fruits, apricots, peaches, cherries, plums, table grapes, wine grapes, strawberries, blackberries, dewberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, rose hips, mulberries, azaroles, elderberries, garlic, onions, shallots, tomatoes, sweet peppers/ bell peppers, aubergines/ eggplants, okra, cucurbits, brassica vegetables, broccoli, cauliflowers, head cabbages, Chinese cabbages, kales, Brussels sprouts, beans (with pods), peas (with pods), beans (without pods), peas (without pods), lentils, cultivated fungi, wild fungi, mosses and lichens, oilseeds, linseeds, peanuts/ groundnuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rapeseeds/ canola seeds, mustard seeds, cotton seeds, pumpkin seeds, safflower seeds, borage seeds, gold of pleasure seeds, hemp seeds, castor beans, soyabeans, barley, oats, rye, wheat, commodities from swine, cattle, sheep, goat, horse, poultry and other farmed terrestrial mammals, milk (cattle, sheep, goat, horse), bird eggs, honey, amphibians, and reptiles, teas, coffees, herbal infusions, cocoa, carobs

What is changing?

The European Commission proposed to reduce the MRLs for carbendazim as summarised in Table 1. MRLs should be raised for lemons, limes, and mandarins, but lowered for okra.

In the EU, carbendazim is currently defined as “sum of benomyl and carbendazim expressed as carbendazim”. The Commission proposed that the new MRLs will just apply to carbendazim. Separate MRLs are being established for benomyl.

Why?

Carbendazim is no longer authorised in the EU as there was no application for reapproval. Therefore MRLs should be set to the LOD, except on certain products considered safe.

EFSA (2021) recommends raising the MRLs for carbendazim on lemons, limes, and mandarins, based on good agricultural practices (GAP) from non-EU countries, that are considered safe.

EFSA also proposes to set lower MRLs for carbendazim on okra/ lady’s fingers, also based on GAP from certain non-EU countries.

Timeline

The European Parliament’s objection prevents the Commission from adopting the proposed draft Regulation, which means that the existing MRLs for carbendazim continue to apply.

Background

In November 2023, the European Commission informed the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO SPS) Committee of its intention to set the MRLs for carbendazim to the LOD. This could have an impact on suppliers of a wide range of products including fruit, vegetables, soyabeans, cereals, and honey. There are exceptions for lemons, limes, mandarins, and okra, as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers that existing import tolerances are safe for these particular products (G/SPS/N/EU/696).

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.

Resources

Sources

Tables & Figures

Source: based on PLAN/2022/2853