21 November 2008
ISBN: 978-1-100-10753-0 (978-1-100-10754-7
Cat. No.: H113-24/2008-35E (H113-24/2008-35-PDF)

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Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has concluded that the addition of a new use on peanuts to the product label of Frontier Herbicide, containing technical grade dimethenamid, is acceptable. The specific use approved in Canada is detailed on the label of Frontier Herbicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 23462.

The evaluation of this dimethenamid application indicated that the end-use product has merit and value and that the human health and environmental risks associated with the new use are acceptable. Details regarding the registration can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report that is available on the PMRA website, under Public Registry, Product Information, Current Applications.¹

Before registering a pesticide for food use in Canada, the PMRA must determine the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on the food when the pesticide is used according to label directions and that such residues will not pose an unacceptable health risk. This quantity is then legally established as a maximum residue limit (MRL). An MRL applies to the identified raw agricultural food commodity as well as to any processed food product that contains it, except where separate MRLs are specified for the raw agricultural commodity and a processed product made from it.

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for dimethenamid is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps).

To comply with Canada's international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRL is also being conducted internationally by notifying the World Trade Organization, as coordinated by the Standards council of Canada.

The proposed MRLs for dimethenamid in Canada in or on food, to be added to those already legally established, are as follows.

Table 1 Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Dimethenamid

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Dimethenamid	2-chloro-N-(2,4-dimethyl-3-thienyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide	0.01	Peanuts

A complete list of all MRLs established in Canada can be found on the PMRA's MRL webpage.

International Situation and Trade Implications

The proposed Canadian MRLs are the same as both the corresponding tolerance established in the United States (tolerances listed in 40 CFR 180 by pesticide) and the Codex MRLs² ( Codex MRLs are searchable by pesticide or commodity).

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for dimethenamid up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document. Please forward your comments to Publications (see contact information on the cover page of this document). The PMRA will consider all comments received before making a final decision on the proposed MRL for dimethenamid and posting an Established Maximum Residue Limit (EMRL) document on the PMRA's website.

References