Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-13, Phenmedipham

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
26 March 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-13E-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 approved the addition of a new use on red garden (table) beets to the product label of Betamix ß EC Herbicide, containing technical grade phenmedipham and desmedipham. The specific use approved in Canada is detailed on the label of Betamix ß EC Herbicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 28650.

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 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 phenmedipham is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps). A currently established 0.2 ppm MRL for phenmedipham in or on garden beet roots remains unaffected. MRLs for desmedipham in or on garden beet roots and tops are being proposed under a separate MRL action.

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 MRL in Canada in or on food, to replace the corresponding MRL already legally established for phenmedipham, is as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limit for Phenmedipham

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (Table 1 footnote ppm)	Food Commodity
Footnotes Footnote 1 = parts per million Return to table 1 footnote ppm referrer Footnote 2 The MRL is proposed to replace the currently established 0.2 ppm MRL, based upon Canadian residue data, to accommodate the new Canadian use pattern. Return to table 1 footnote a referrer
Phenmedipham	3-[(methoxycarbonyl)amino]phenyl N-(3-methylphenyl)carbamate	0.9Table 1 footnote a	Garden beet tops

MRLs established in Canada may be found using the  Maximum Residue Limit Database on the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides webpage. The database allows users to search for pesticide(s) or for food commodity(ies).

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 phenmedipham in Canada differs from the corresponding tolerance established in the United States (tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide). Currently, there are no Codex MRLs^{Footnote 2} listed for phenmedipham in or on any commodity on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food webpage.

Table 2 - Comparison of Canadian MRL, American Tolerance and Codex MRL

Food Commodity	Canadian MRL (ppm)	American Tolerance (ppm)	Codex MRL (ppm)
Garden beet tops	0.9	0.2	Not Established

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRL for phenmedipham 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. Comments received will be addressed in a separate document linked to this PMRL. The established MRL will be legally in effect as of the date that they are entered into the  Maximum Residue Limit Database.