Foodlaw-Reading Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Food Law News - EU - 2014

EU Council Meeting, 29 September 2014

PESTICIDES – Council Discussions: Pesticides - maximum residue levels

The following is an extract from the minutes of the General Affairs Council meeting held on 29th September 2014:

The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of three Commission regulations amending annexes II, III, IV and V to regulation 396/20051 as regards:

• maximum residue levels for asulam, cyanamide, dicloran, flumioxazin, flupyrsulfuronmethyl, picolinafen and propisochlor in or on certain products (amendment of annexes II,
• maximum residue levels for amitrole, dinocap, fipronil, flufenacet, pendimethalin, propyzamide, and pyridate in or on certain products (amendment of annexes II and III)
• maximum residue levels for anthraquinone, benfluralin, bentazone, bromoxynil, chlorothalonil, famoxadone, imazamox, methyl bromide, propanil and sulphuric acid in or on certain products (amendment of annexes II, III, IV and V)

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 submitted 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 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.

These Commission regulations are subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt the regulation, unless the European Parliament objects.