Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2011-40, Mecoprop

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

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
14 October 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-40E-PDF (PDF version)

Help on accessing alternative formats, such as Portable Document Format (PDF), Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (PPT) files, can be obtained in the alternate format help section.

Under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has converted the conditional registration of Marks Mecoprop-p Technical Acid (Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 27441), and several end-use products registered for use on cereal grains, to full registration.

The evaluation of these mecoprop-p applications indicated that the end-use products have merit and value and the human health and environmental risks associated with the registered uses are acceptable. Details regarding the registrations 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.

Residues of the resolved isomer mecoprop-p are covered by MRLs established for mecoprop, the unresolved racemate. Consultation on the proposed MRLs for mecoprop 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 MRL is also being conducted internationally by notifying the  World Trade Organization, as coordinated by the  Standards Council of Canada.

The proposed MRLs for mecoprop in Canada in or on food are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Mecoprop

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
Mecoprop	(±)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) acid	0.05	Meat byproducts of cattle, goats, hogs, horses, poultry and sheep
		0.02	Cereal grains (Crop Group 15); eggs; fat and meat of cattle, goats, hogs, horses, poultry and sheep
		0.01	Milk

MRLs are proposed for each commodity included in the cereal grains crop group 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 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 United States and Codex^{Footnote 2} have not established tolerances/MRLs for mecoprop in or on any commodity. American tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. Codex MRLs are listed in the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food website.

Next Steps

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