Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-25, Bifenazate

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
23 April 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-25E-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 new uses on stone fruits (Crop Group 12-09) to the product label of Acramite 50WS Miticide, containing technical grade bifenazate, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Acramite 50WS Miticide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 27925.

The evaluation of this bifenazate 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 bifenazate 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 MRLs in Canada in or on food, to be added to the MRLs already legally established for bifenazate, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Bifenazate

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
Bifenazate	1-methylethyl 2-(4-methoxy[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)hydrazinecarboxylate, including the metabolite diazenecarboxylic acid, 2-(4-methoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl), 1-methylethyl ester	0.8	Cherry subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12-09A), peach subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12-09B)
		0.2	Plum subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12-09C)

MRLs are proposed for each food commodity included in the stone fruit 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 Pesticideswebpage. The database allows users to search for established MRLs, regulated under the PCPA, both for pesticides or food commodities.

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 bifenazate in Canada with the corresponding American tolerances and Codex MRLs^{Footnote 2}. American tolerances are listed in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. Note that the tolerance established in the United States is for Crop Group 12, which represents a subset of Crop Group 12-09 commodities in accordance with Update on the Status of the Revisions to the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups (DIR2010-01).

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)
Cherry subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12-09A), peach subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12‑09B)	2.5	2.5 (Fruit, stone, group 12, except plum)	2.0 (stone fruits)
Plum subgroup (Crop Subgroup 12-09C)	0.2	0.2 (Plum)

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for bifenazate 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.