Pest Management Regulatory Agency
25 May 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-09E-PDF (PDF version)

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Under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing to establish a maximum residue limit (MRL) for propoxycarbazone-sodium in or on wheat to permit the import and sale of foods containing such residues.

Propoxycarbazone-sodium is a herbicide not currently registered for use in Canada.

The PMRA has determined the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on imported food commodities when propoxycarbazone-sodium is used according to label directions in the exporting country. The Agency has also determined that such residues will not be a concern to human health and is proposing to legally establish a corresponding import 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.

Details regarding the proposed import MRL can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report that is available in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's Web site, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.^{Footnote 1}

Consultation on the proposed import MRL for propoxycarbazone-sodium 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 MRL for propoxycarbazone-sodium in Canada in or on food is as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limit for Propoxycarbazone-sodium

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Propoxycarbazone- sodium	benzoic acid, 2-[[[((1Z)-(4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-propoxy-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)hydroxymethylene]amino]sulfonyl]-methyl ester, sodium salt (1:1), including the metabolite benzoic acid, 2-[[[[4,5-dihydro-3-(2-hydroxypropoxy)-4-methyl-5-oxo-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)carbonyl]amino]sulfonyl]-methyl ester	0.02	Wheat

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 Web site.

International Situation and Trade Implications

The proposed MRL for propoxycarbazone-sodium in Canada is the same as the corresponding tolerance established in the United States (tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide). Currently, Codex Alimentarius MRLs^{Footnote 2} have not been established for propoxycarbazone-sodium 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 import MRL for propoxycarbazone-sodium 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 import MRL for propoxycarbazone-sodium and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's Web site.