Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-28, Fenamidone

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
22 May 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-28E-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 fenamidone on various commodities to permit the import and sale of foods containing such residues.

Fenamidone is a fungicide currently registered in Canada for use on bulb vegetables (Crop Group 3), Brassica vegetables (Crop Group 5), cucurbit vegetables (Crop Group 9) and potatoes.

The PMRA has determined the quantity of residues that are likely to remain in or on the imported food commodities when fenamidone 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 fenamidone 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 replace or be added to the MRLs already legally established for fenamidone, are as follows.

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Fenamidone

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL(ppm)Table 1 footnote 1	Food Commodity
Table 1 footnotes Table 1 footnote 1 ppm = parts per million Return to table 1 footnote 1 referrer Table 1 footnote 2 The 60 ppm MRL is proposed to replace the existing MRLs of 20 ppm for leaf lettuce and 15 ppm for head lettuce and adds MRLs for the remaining commodities in the crop group. Return to table 1 footnote 2 referrer Table 1 footnote 3 Tomatoes are excepted as a 1.0 ppm MRL is already established for the commodity. Distinct MRLs for the processed commodities tomato paste and purée also remain as currently established at 2.2 and 2.0 ppm, respectively. Return to table 1 footnote 3 referrer Table 1 footnote 4 Potatoes are excepted as a 0.02 ppm MRL is already established for the commodity. Return to table 1 footnote 4 referrer
Fenamidone	(5S)-3,5-dihydro-5-methyl-2-(methylthio)-5-phenyl-3-(phenylamino)-4H-imidazol-4-one	60	Leafy vegetables, except Brassica (Crop Group 4)Table 1 footnote 2, fresh coriander leaves
		3.5	Nonbell Pepper/Eggplant Subgroup (Crop Subgroup 8-09C)
		1.0	Tomato Subgroup (Crop Subgroup 8‑09A; except tomatoesTable 1 footnote 3), bell peppers
		0.15	Root Vegetables, except sugar beet (Crop Subgroup 1B; except radish roots)
		0.02	Tuberous and corm vegetables (Crop Subgroup 1C; except potatoesTable 1 footnote 4), undelinted cotton seeds

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.

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

The MRLs proposed for fenamidone in Canada are the same as corresponding tolerances established in the United States (tolerances are listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180). Currently, there are no Codex MRLs^{Footnote 2} listed for fenamidone in or on any commodity on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food webpage.

Note that MRLs proposed for fenamidone in Canada for fruiting vegetables reflect Crop Group CG 8-09 which includes additional fruiting vegetable commodities that are not part of the corresponding American tolerance for Crop Group 8 due to revisions made to the crop group in accordance with Update on the Status of the Revisions to the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups (DIR2010-01).

Next Steps

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