Council Press Release, 9 October 2009

PESTICIDES - Council approval of legislative acts under comitology procedure: Pesticide residue controls

The following is an extract from the minutes of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, 9 October 2009

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption by the Commission of three legislative acts in the field of agriculture. This decision concerns the following acts [2 relating to food]:

• Commission regulation amending Annex II to regulation No 396/2005 as regards maximum residue levels for certain pesticides (dimethoate, ethephon, fenamiphos, fenarimol, methanmidophos, methomyl, omethoate, oxydemeton-methyl, procymidone, thiocarb and vinclozolin) in or on food and feed;
• Commission regulation amending Annexes II and III to regulation No  396/2005 as regards maximum residue levels for certain pesticides (azoxystrobin, acetamiprid, clomazone, cyflufenamid, emamectin benzoate, famoxadone, fenbutatin oxide, flufenoxuron, fluopicolide, indoxacarb, ioxynil, mepanipyrim, prothioconazole, pyridalyl, thiacloprid and trifloxystrobin) in or on food and feed;

In accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny, the Council can oppose the Commission's adoption of an act which exceeds the implementing powers of the Commission, is not compatible with the aim or content of the basic instrument or does not respect subsidiarity or proportionality if the regulatory committee previously supported the envisaged measures.