Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2012-38, Methoxyfenozide

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
28 June 2012
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2012-38E-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 methoxyfenozide on green onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07B), citrus fruits (Crop Group 10) and peanuts to permit the import and sale of foods containing such residues.

Methoxyfenozide is an insecticide currently registered in Canada for use on pome fruits (Crop Group 11), cranberries and peaches.

The PMRA has determined the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on the imported food commodities when methoxyfenozide is used according to label directions in the exporting country. The Agency has also determined that such residues will not be a concern to human health and is proposing to legally establish corresponding import 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 of Health Canada's website, under Public Registry, Pesticide Product Information Database.^{Footnote 1}

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for methoxyfenozide 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 in Canada in or on food, to be added to the MRLs already legally established for methoxyfenozide, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Methoxyfenozide

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)	Food Commodity
ppm = parts per million
Methoxyfenozide	3-methoxy-2-methylbenzoic acid, 2-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)hydrazide	100	Citrus Oil
		10	Citrus fruits (Crop Group 10-Revised)
		5.0	Green onions (Crop Subgroup 3-07B)
		0.04	Peanut oil
		0.02	Peanuts

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 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 crop trials used to generate residue chemistry data.

As per Table 2, the proposed MRLs for methoxyfenozide in Canada are the same as corresponding tolerances established in the United States but differ from 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, by pesticide or commodity.

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

Food Commodity	Canadian MRL (ppm)	American Tolerance (ppm)	Codex MRL (ppm)
Footnote 1 In the absence of a specified MRL for a processed commodity, the MRL for the raw agricultural commodity, citrus fruits, applies. Return to footnote a referrer
Citrus oil	100	100	0.7Table 2 footnote a
Citrus fruits (Crop Group 10-Revised)	10	10	0.7
Green onion (Crop Subgroup 3-07B)	5.0	5.0	Not established
Peanut oil	0.04	0.04	0.1
Peanuts	0.02	0.02	0.03

Next Steps

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