Pest Management Regulatory Agency
27 June 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-23E-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 added the domestic use of bulb vegetable (Crop Group 3-07) treated seeds to the product label of Dynasty 100FS Fungicide, containing technical grade azoxystrobin. The specific use approved in Canada is detailed on the label of Dynasty 100FS Fungicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 28394.

The evaluation of this azoxystrobin application indicated that the end-use product has merit and value and 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 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.

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

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 azoxystrobin 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 Azoxystrobin

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Excepted from this MRL action as a corresponding 7.5 ppm MRL was established on 24 September 2010. Excepted from this MRL action as a corresponding 1.0 ppm MRL was established on 24 September 2010.
Azoxystrobin	(αE)-methyl 2-[[6-(2-cyanophenoxy)-4-pyrimidinyl]oxy]-α-(methoxymethylene) benzeneacetate, including the isomer (Z)-methyl 2-[[6-(2-cyanophenoxy)-4- pyrimidinyl]oxy]-α-(methoxymethylene) benzeneacetate	7.5	Green onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07B, except green onions
		1.0	Bulb onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07A, except dry bulb onions )

MRLs are proposed for the commodities included in the listed crop groupings in accordance with the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

A complete list of all 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 azoxystrobin in Canada do not have corresponding tolerances established in the United States (tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide). However, note that American tolerances have been established for bulb onions at 1.0 ppm and green onions at 7.5 ppm, consistent with established Canadian MRLs and those proposed for the remaining subgroup commodities under this action.

Currently, Codex Alimentarius MRLs^{Footnote 2} have not been established for azoxystrobin on any commodity. 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 azoxystrobin 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 azoxystrobin and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.