Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-06, Difenoconazole

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
18 March 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-6E-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 granted full registration to a new end-use product, containing technical grade difenoconazole and azoxystrobin, for the control of broad-spectrum diseases on various pulses and vegetables. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the product label of Quadris Top, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 30518.

The evaluation of this 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 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 difenoconazole is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps). Existing MRLs for azoxystrobin are adequate to cover all uses of Quadris Top fungicide, as are the MRLs established for difenoconazole. The only MRLs required to support this registration are for commodities without currently established MRLs for difenoconazole, in accordance with Table 1.

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 difenoconazole, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Difenoconazole

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (Table 1 footnote ppm)	Food Commodity
Table 1 footnotes Table 1 footnote 1 = parts per million Return to table 1 footnote ppm referrer
Difenoconazole	1-[[2-[2-chloro-4-(4-chlorophenoxy) phenyl]-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl]methyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole	0.5	Carrot roots
		0.03	Dried shelled pea and bean, except soybean (Crop Subgroup 6C)

MRLs are proposed for each commodity included in the listed crop subgroup in accordance with the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.

Pesticide MRLs established in Canada may be accessed using the Maximum Residue Limit Database, accessible via the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides webpage in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website, and searchable by pesticide or commodity.

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 for difenoconazole in Canada with corresponding established American tolerances and Codex MRLs^{Note de bas de page 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 webpage, 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)
Carrot roots	0.5	0.5	0.2
Dried shelled pea and bean, except soybean (Crop Subgroup 6C)	0.03	Not established	Not established

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for difenoconazole 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. Comments received will be addressed in a separate document linked to this PMRL. The MRLs will take legal effect as of the date posted to the Maximum Residue Limit Database in the Pesticides and Pest Management section of Health Canada's website.