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

Council of the EU - Minutes, 17 May 2016

PESTICIDES – Council discussions: Pesticides - maximum residue levels

The following is an extract from the minutes of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council Meeting on 17 May 2016:

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of a series of regulations amending regulation 396/2005 as regards maximum residue levels (MRLs) in or on certain products for:

• ethofumesate, etoxazole, fenamidone, fluoxastrobin and flurtamone (7610/16),
• AMTT, diquat, dodine, glufosinate and tritosulfuron (7599/16),
• 1 naphthylacetamide, 1-naphthylacetic acid, chloridazon, fluazifop-P, fuberidazole, mepiquat and tralkoxydim (7632/16), and
• abamectin, acequinocyl, acetamiprid, benzovindiflupyr, bromoxynil, fludioxonil, fluopicolide, fosetyl, mepiquat, proquinazid, propamocarb, prohexadione and tebuconazole (7641/16).

Regulation 396/2005 establishes the MRLs permitted in products of animal or vegetable origin intended for human or animal consumption. These MRLs include, on the one hand, levels which are specific to particular foodstuffs intended for human or animal consumption and, on the other, a general limit which applies where no specific level has been set. MRL applications are communicated to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which issue a scientific opinion on each intended new MRL. Based on EFSA's opinion, the Commission proposes regulations to establish new MRLs or to amend or remove existing MRLs, and to modify the annexes of regulation 396/2005 accordingly.