Pest Management Regulatory Agency
29 June 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-17E-PDF (PDF version)

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Under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has registered a new end-use product, containing technical grade thiabendazole, azoxystrobin, fludioxonil and metalaxyl-M, for use in Canada on field, pop and sweet corn. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Maxim Quattro Seed Treatment, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 29871.

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 use on corn are acceptable. Details regarding the registration can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report that is 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.

MRLs are currently established in Canada for azoxystrobin, fludioxonil and metalaxyl in or on field, pop and sweet corn. Consultation on the proposed MRLs for thiabendazole 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 thiabendazole 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 Thiabendazole

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Thiabendazole	2-(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole	0.01	Field corn, popcorn grain, sweet corn kernels plus cob with husks removed

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

International Situation and Trade Implications

The proposed MRLs for thiabendazole in Canada are the same as corresponding tolerances 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 thiabendazole on corn commodities. A listing of all established Codex MRLs is available on the Codex Alimentarius Pesticide Residues in Food website.

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for thiabendazole 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 thiabendazole and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.