Notice to the reader: The online consultation is now closed. Comments and suggestions received during the public consultation period are being considered in the finalization of this document. The final report will be made available as soon as possible.

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
28 September 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-38E-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 maximum residue limits (MRLs) for mefenpyr-diethyl in or on barley and wheat to permit the import and sale of foods containing these residues.

Mefenpyr-diethyl is a safener currently added to several registered herbicides in Canada for use on barley and wheat.

The PMRA has determined the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on the food commodities when mefenpyr-diethyl is used according to label directions. The Agency has also determined that such residues will not be a concern to human health and is proposing to legally establish corresponding MRLs. 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 import MRLs can be found in the corresponding Evaluation Report available in the Pesticides and Pest Management section Health Canada's website, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.^{Footnote 1}

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for mefenpyr-diethyl 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.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Mefenpyr-diethyl

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Mefenpyr-diethyl	diethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,5-dihydro-5-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3,5-dicarboxylate, including the metabolite 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-methyl-2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylic acid	0.05	Barley, wheat

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 mefenpyr-diethyl 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 MRLs^{Footnote 2} are not listed for mefenpyr-diethyl in or on any commodity on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food webpage.

Next Steps

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