According to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) are the upper levels of pesticide residues that are legally permissible in, or on, food or animal feed, based on good agricultural practice (GAP) and the lowest exposure necessary to protect vulnerable consumers.
New Commission Regulation (EC) No 2020/1633 amended Regulation (EC) 396/2005 relating to the MRLs for pesticide residues of azinphos-methyl, bentazone, dimethomorph, fludioxonil, flufenoxuron, oxadiazon, pyraclostrobin, repellents: tall oil and teflubenzuron, in or on certain products. Details of the changes are shown in table 1.
Table 1: Amendments to Annexes II, III, IV and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 according to the Annex of the new regulation
| PESTICIDES | PRODUCTS FOR WHICH THE MRLS WERE UPDATED | MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MG/KG) |
|---|---|---|
| Bentazone (CAS# 25057-89-0) | Potatoes, products of animal origin, herbal infusions from leaves and herbs, and leeks | |
| Dimethomorph (CAS # 110488-70-5) | Blackberries and raspberries | |
| Fludioxonil (CAS # 131341-86-1) | Certain products of animal origin | |
| Pyraclostrobin (CAS # 175013-18-0) | Table grapes | |
| Teflubenzuron (CAS # 83121-18-0) | Products of animal origin | |
| Azinphos-methyl (CAS # 86-50-0) | Certain products except spices | |
| Oxadiazon (CAS # 19666-30-9) | Certain products | |
| Flufenoxuron (CAS # 101463-69-8) | Certain products except tea | |
| Phosalone (CAS # 2310-17-0) | Certain products except spices | |
| Repellants: tall oil (CAS # 61790-12-3) | Certain products |
Approval of the active substance azinphos-methyl and oxadiazon has expired, and the active substance flufenoxuron, phosalone, and repellent: tall oil were not approved by the EU Regulation. Therefore, the existing MRLs for azinphos-methyl, flufenoxuron, oxadiazon, and phosalone are deleted from Annex II and III of regulation (EC) No 396/2005, in accordance with Article 17 of that Regulation in conjunction with Article 14(1). There is an exception for the MRLs of flufenoxuron in tea which is safe to consumers and corresponds to an import tolerance request from Japan, and the MRLs of azinphos-methyl and phosalone in spices which correspond to CODEX limits. For MRLs for repellents: tall oil removes the entry in Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and list default values, 0.01 mg/kg for that substance in Annex V of that regulation.
Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 as it stood before being amended by this Regulation shall continue to apply to products which were produced in, or imported into, the Union before May 25, 2021, except for pyraclostrobin in table grapes and repellents: tall oil in all products.
