12 - 17 April 1999: COMMITTEE - Pesticide Residues (31st Session)

Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (31st Session)
The Hague, 12 - 17 April 1999

The Committee recommended to the Commission:

• Draft MRLs for adoption at Step 8, Proposed Draft MRLs at Step 5/8 and Proposed Draft MRLs/EMRL at Step 5 (Appendices II, IV & V);
• the amended text of the Draft Revised Recommended Methods of Sampling for the Determination of Pesticide Residues for Compliance with MRLs for adoption at Step 8 (Appendix III);
• revocation of certain existing Codex MRLs (Appendix VI); and
• the Priority List of Pesticides for new and periodic evaluations by the JMPR for endorsement (Appendix VII)

Matters of Interest to the Commission

Matter Of Interest To Other Committees

The Committee:

• concluded that it was not in a position to take action on the request of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa to elaborate MRLs to address the difficulties in exporting fish caught in Lake Victoria due to the presence of certain pesticides until relevant data were submitted (paras. 15-16);
• agreed to support the MRL for cyfluthrin in milk at 0.04 mg/kg (whole milk basis), which had been advanced by the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods to Step 5 for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (para. 96);
• decided to send the “Agreed CCPR Positions on Setting EMRLs” to the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants for their consideration to ensure harmonization and consistency in Codex (para. 110 and Appendix VIII); and
• agreed that once a new paper became available on in-house method validation, it should be sent to the Codex Committees on Methods of Analysis and Sampling and on Pesticide Residues for harmonization purposes (para. 131).

For Information To The Commission

The Committee:

• decided to consider at its next Session the recommendations of an informal JECFA/JMPR Harmonization Meeting held to resolve differences in residue definitions and related matters and to ensure harmonization and consistency between the JECFA and JMPR, pending their consideration by the 1999 JMPR (para. 7-9)
• noted the reports on general considerations by the 1997 and 1998 JMPR; concluded that maximum residue limits for monitoring (MRLMs), recommended by the JMPR when the dietary intake estimate(s) exceeds the ADI, would be treated as normal MRLs which would be footnoted indicating that assurance could not be provided that intake would not exceed the ADI (para. 18); and requested the JMPR Secretariat to prepare a short paper for consideration at the next Session that would provide practical proposals to address the increasing workload of the JMPR (para. 21);
• agreed to discuss the methodology for estimating acute dietary exposure at the next Session when worked examples would be available to assess its usefulness as a screening tool at the international level (para. 25);
• welcomed the proposal for the revised diets for estimating chronic dietary intake of pesticide residues and agreed that they should be sent to governments for comments (paras 27-29);
• decided that a revised questionnaire on the food processing practices in countries to improve dietary exposure assessment should be sent to governments for response (paras 35-36);
• agreed to request following new discussion papers for consideration at the next Session:
  • i. on the request of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses, i.e., feasibility of establishing specific MRLs for cereal-based foods and infant formula, in particular, possible unique toxicological concerns to children (paras 10-14)
  • ii. on the issue of which uses to support when estimated chronic dietary intake(s) exceeded the ADI (para. 75); and
  • iii. on the feasibility of establishing MRLs for genetically modified crops and for metabolite residues (para. 105);
• agreed on the amended CCPR positions on treating outliers and violation rates in setting EMRLs (para. 108);
• agreed to seek comments on the paper on the need for EMRL for camphechlor in fish and to request information on trade problems caused by camphechlor residues in fish and availability of monitoring data (para. 114);
• agreed on the process for the review of the criteria for determining suitability of methods of analysis and the revision of the list of methods of analysis (para. 128);
• agreed to seek comments on performance criteria of analytical methods in relation to in-house validation (para. 129);
• recommended a number of actions regarding problems relative to pesticide residues in food in developing countries (paras 139- 148); and
• decided to defer further consideration on regulatory practices to facilitate use of Codex MRLs for pesticides pending the outcome of considerations of relevant matters by the Codex Committee on General Principles and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and inputs from Member countries (para. 149).

Matters of General Nautre Referred to the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Resiudes

The Committee invited the JMPR to consider or to give advice on:

• physiological and developmental characteristics of infants and children (para. 13) ;
• susceptibility of infants and young children to chemicals and validity of the ADIs established for these populations (para. 14) ;
• the term MRLM, as the term ‘monitoring’ is confusing (para. 18);
• the question on minimum data requirements to establish MRLs and STMRs for post-harvest uses (para. 73); and
• providing several options when the JMPR estimates EMRLs to enable the CCPR to make appropriate risk management decisions (para. 109).