Maximum residue levels for carbendazim
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EU proposes to reduce MRLs for carbendazim to the limit of determination except for lemons, limes, mandarins, and okra
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
Update
The European Commission has informed the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO SPS) Committee of its intention to set 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). 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).
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
What is changing?
The European Commission proposes 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 now proposes 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 GAPs from certain non-EU countries.
Timeline
Expected date of publication: July 2024.
The new MRLs are expected to apply from mid-2025.
Recommended Actions
Competent authorities of countries that are members of the WTO can submit comments on the EU’s proposal by emailing the EU SPS Enquiry Point until 22 January 2024.
Suppliers of fruit, vegetables, soyabeans, cereals, and honey in particular should review their current use of carbendazim and look for possible alternative solutions in anticipation of these MRL changes.
Private and public laboratories should adjust their analysis of carbendazim to ensure that analytical results reflect levels of both carbendazim and benomyl separately.
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.
Resources
EFSA (2021) Reasoned opinion on the toxicological properties and maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the benzimidazole substances carbendazim and thiophanate‐methyl. EFSA Journal, 19(8): 6773.
Sources
Draft Commission Regulation as regards maximum residue levels for benomyl, carbendazim and thiophanate‐methyl in or on certain products
Tables & Figures
Source: based on PLAN/2022/2853