Pest Management Regulatory Agency
22 March 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Cat. No.: H113-24/2011-06E-PDF (PDF version)

Help on accessing alternative formats, such as Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (PPT) files, can be obtained in the alternate format help section.

Under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has concluded that the addition of new uses on canola quality Brassica Juncea varieties with the Clearfield trait to the product label of Odyssey WDG Herbicide, containing technical grade imazethapyr and imazamox, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Odyssey WDG Herbicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 25111.

The evaluation of this application indicated that the end-use product has merit and value and the human health and environmental risks associated with the new uses are acceptable. Details regarding the registration can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Reports available in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.^{Footnote 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 be a concern to human health. 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.

An MRL of 0.05 ppm is currently established for imazethapyr in or on rapeseeds (canola) and this MRL action proposes to extend that MRL to the remaining rapeseed commodities in Crop Subgroup 20A.

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for imazethapyr is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps, the last section of this document).

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

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

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Imazethapyr

Chemical Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodities
Imazethapyr	(±)-2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5-ethyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid, expressed as ammonium salt	0.05	Borage seeds, cuphea seeds, echium seeds, flaxseeds, Gold of Pleasure seeds, Hare's ear mustard seeds, milkweed seeds, mustard seeds (oilseed type), oil radish seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sweet rocket seeds

A complete list of all pesticide MRLs established in Canada can be found on the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides Web page in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

International Situation and Trade Implications

The proposed MRLs for imazethapyr in Canada do not have corresponding established American tolerances or Codex Alimentarius MRLs^{Footnote 2}. The United States has established a 0.1 ppm tolerance for imazethapyr in or on canola seeds but not for the commodities included in this MRL action. American tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. Currently, Codex MRLs have not been established for imazethapyr on any commodity. A listing of all established Codex MRLs is available on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food Web site.

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for imazethapyr up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document. Please forward your comments to Publications. The PMRA will consider all comments received before making a final decision on the proposed MRLs for imazethapyr and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.