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Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2012-36, 2,4-D

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
26 June 2012
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2012-36E-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 a new use on red skinned potatoes to the product label of IPCO 2,4-D Ester 700 Herbicide, containing technical grade 2,4-D ethylhexyl ester, is acceptable. The specific use approved in Canada is detailed on the label of IPCO 2,4-D Ester 700 Herbicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 27819.

The evaluation of this 2,4-D ethylhexyl ester 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 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 MRL for 2,4-D is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps).

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 MRL in Canada in or on food, to be added to the MRLs already legally established for 2,4-D, is as follows.

A list of pesticide MRLs established in Canada, as of the date indicated, 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 MRL for 2,4-D in Canada is the same as the corresponding tolerance established in the United States but differs from the current Codex Alimentarius MRL.^{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, by pesticide or commodity.

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRL for 2,4-D 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 MRL for 2,4-D and posting a corresponding Established Maximum Residue Limit document in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.