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Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2011-53, Pyrimethanil

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
15 December 2011
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2011-53E-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 bulb vegetables (Crop Group 3-07) to the product label of Scala SC Fungicide, containing technical grade pyrimethanil, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Scala SC Fungicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 28011.

The evaluation of this pyrimethanil application indicated that the end-use product has merit and value and the human health and environmental risks associated with the new uses 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 pyrimethanil 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 in Canada in or on food, to be added to the MRLs already legally established for pyrimethanil, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Pyrimethanil

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
ppm = parts per million Excepted from this MRL action as a 2.0 ppm MRL is already established for green onions. The same MRL is proposed for extension to the remaining commodities in the crop subgroup. Excepted from this MRL action as a 0.1 ppm MRL is already established for dry bulb onions. The same MRL is proposed for extension to the remaining commodities in the crop subgroup.
Pyrimethanil	4,6-dimethyl-N-phenyl-2-pyrimidinamine	2.0	Green onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07B, except green onions)
		0.1	Bulb onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07A, except dry bulb onions)

MRLs are proposed for each commodity 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 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. Table 2 compares the MRLs proposed in Canada and corresponding American tolerances and Codex MRLs^{Footnote 2}. American tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide). A listing of 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)
Crop Subgroup 3-07B except elegans hosta, fresh Chinese chive leaves, fresh chive leaves, fritillaria leaves, kurrats and macrostem onions as defined under 40 CFR Part 180.1(g). Crop Subgroup 3-07A except daylilies, fritillaria bulbs and lillies as defined under 40 CFR Part 180.1(g).
Green onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07B)	2.0	2.0 (Onion, green)	3.0 (Onion, spring)
Bulb onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07A)	0.1	0.1 (Onion, bulb)	0.2 (Onion, bulb)

Next Steps

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