Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-19, Boscalid

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
17 April 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-19E-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 approved the addition of new uses on Brassica (cole) leafy vegetables (Crop Group 5) and greenhouse lettuce to the product label of Pristine WG Fungicide, containing technical grade boscalid and pyraclostrobin. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Pristine WG Fungicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 27985.

The evaluation of these applications 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 revised MRLs for boscalid is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps). MRLs currently established for pyraclostrobin in or on Brassica leafy vegetables and leaf lettuce are sufficient to accommodate the new uses.

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 for boscalid in Canada in or on food, to revise MRLs already legally established for boscalid, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Boscalid

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 18 ppm MRL for all crop subgroup commodities. Return to table 1 footnote a referrer Footnote 3 The MRL is proposed to replace the currently established 11 ppm MRL for leaf lettuce. The established MRL for head lettuce remains at 6.5 ppm. Return to table 1 footnote b referrer Footnote 4 The MRL is proposed to replace the currently established 3.0 ppm MRL for all crop subgroup commodities. Return to table 1 footnote c referrer
Boscalid	2-chloro-N-(4'-chloro[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide	50	Leafy Brassica greens (Crop Subgroup 5B)Table 1 footnote a
		35	Leaf lettuceTable 1 footnote b
		6.0	Head and stem Brassica (Crop Subgroup 5A)Table 1 footnote c

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

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 pesticides(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 MRLs for boscalid in Canada differ from corresponding American tolerances and Codex MRLs.^{Footnote 2}

American tolerances, as listed in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide, are consistent with the MRLs currently established in Canada for boscalid which are proposed to be increased under this MRL action.

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)
Leafy Brassica greens (Crop Subgroup 5B)	50	18	40 ("Leafy vegetables")
Leaf lettuce	35	11	40 ("Leafy vegetables")
Head and stem Brassica vegetables (Crop Subgroup 5A)	6.0	3.0	5.0 ("Brassica (Cole or Cabbage) Vegetables, Head Cabbage, Flowerhead Brassicas")

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for boscalid 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 established MRLs will be legally in effect as of the date that they are entered into the Maximum Residue Limit Database.