Pest Management Regulatory Agency
13 July 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-29E-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 concluded that the addition of new uses on cucurbit vegetables (Crop Group 9) and greenhouse vegetables to end-use products containing technical grade propamocarb hydrochloride is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the product labels of Tattoo C Suspension Concentrate Fungicide (cucurbit vegetables) and Previcur N Aqueous Solution Fungicide (greenhouse cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes), Pest Control Products Act Registration Numbers 24544 and 26288, respectively.

The evaluation of this novaluron 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 propamocarb hydrochloride 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 propamocarb hydrochloride in Canada in or on food, to replace or be added to the MRLs already legally established, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Propamocarb Hydrochloride

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
The MRL is proposed to replace the established 2.0 ppm MRL for cucumbers and include all other cucurbit vegetable crop group commodities.
Propamocarb hydrochloride	propyl [3-(dimethylamino)propyl] carbamate hydrochloride	2.5	Cucurbit vegetables
		0.01	Bell peppers, tomatoes

MRLs are proposed for each commodity included in the cucurbit vegetables crop group in accordance with Appendix I.

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

MRLs may vary from one country to another for a number of reasons, including differences in pesticide use patterns and the locations of the field crop trials used to generate residue chemistry data. As per Table 2, the proposed MRLs for propamocarb hydrochloride in Canada differ from corresponding American tolerances and Codex Alimentarius MRLs.^{Footnote 2} American tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. A listing of all established Codex MRLs is available on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food website.

Table 2 - Comparison of Canadian MRLs, American Tolerances and Codex MRLs

Food Commodity	Canadian MRL (ppm)	American Tolerance (ppm)	Codex MRL (ppm)
Established for the crop group "Vegetable, fruiting, group 8". The MRL for tomatoes, the raw agricultural commodity, applies in the absence of a specified MRL for processed tomato commodities.
Cucurbit vegetables	2.5	1.5	5.0
Bell peppers	0.01	2.0	3.0   (Peppers, sweet)
Tomatoes	0.01	2.0	2.0
Tomato, paste	0.01	5.0	2.0

Next Steps

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

Appendix I

Crop Groups: Numbers and Definitions

Crop Group Number	Crop Group Name	Food Commodities Included in the Crop Group or Subgroup
The established 2.0 ppm MRL for cucumbers is proposed for revision to reflect the 2.5 ppm crop group MRL recommended under this action.
9	Cucurbit vegetables	Balsam apples Balsam pears Cantaloupes Chayote fruit Chinese cucumbers Chinese waxgourds Citron melons Cucumbers Edible gourds (other than those listed in this item) Muskmelons (other than those listed in this item) Pumpkins Summer squash Watermelons West Indian gherkins Winter squash