Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Food Law News - EU - 2016

Council of the EU - Minutes, 8 March 2016

PESTICIDES – Council discussions: Pesticides - Maximum residue levels

The following is an extract from the minutes of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council Meeting on 8 March 2016:

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of regulations updating regulation 396/2005 as regards maximum residue levels (MRLs) for:

• Cydia pomonella Granulovirus (CpGV), calcium carbide, potassium iodide, sodium hydrogen carbonate, rescalure and Beauveria bassiana strain ATCC 74040 and Beauveria bassiana strain GHA (5209/16 + 5209/16 ADD 1)
• captan, propiconazole and spiroxamine (5248/16 + 5248/16 ADD 1 + 5248/16 ADD 2)
• atrazine (5216/16 + 5216/16 ADD 1 + 5216/16 ADD 2)
• chlorantraniliprole, cyflumetofen, cyprodinil, dimethomorph, dithiocarbamates, fenamidone, fluopyram, flutolanil, imazamox, metrafenone, myclobutanil, propiconazole, sedaxane and spirodiclofen (5307/16 + 5307/16 ADD 1+ 5307/16 ADD 2)
• cyazofamid, cycloxydim, difluoroacetic acid, fenoxycarb, flumetralin, fluopicolide, flupyradifurone, fluxapyroxad, kresoxim-methyl, mandestrobin, mepanipyrim, metalaxyl-M, pendimethalin and tefluthrin (5218/16 + 5218/16 ADD 1 + 5218/16 ADD 2).

Regulation 396/2005 establishes the MRLs permitted in products of animal or vegetable origin intended for human or animal consumption. These include levels that are specific to particular foodstuffs intended for human or animal consumption, as well as a general limit that applies where no specific level has been set.

MRL applications are communicated to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which issues a scientific opinion on each intended new MRL. In the light of this opinion, the Commission proposes a regulation to establish a new MRL or to amend or remove an existing MRL, modifying the annexes of regulation 396/2005 accordingly.

The Commission regulations are subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. The Commission may now adopt them, unless the European Parliament objects.