Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Food Law News - EU - 2018

Council Minutes, 11 December 2018

CONTAMINANTS – Council discussions: Pesticides: maximum residue levels for various substances 

The following is an extract from the minutes of the General Affairs Council meeting on the 11 December 2018:

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of three Commission regulations amending regulation 396/2005 as regards maximum residue levels for 

• acetamiprid (13688/18 + ADD 1 + ADD 2)
• bromuconazole, carboxin, fenbutatin oxide, fenpyrazamine and pyridaben (13694/18 + ADD 1 + ADD 2)
• bromadiolone, etofenprox, paclobutrazol and penconazole (13757/18 + ADD 1 + ADD 2)

in or on certain products.

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