Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2013-31, Flonicamid

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
3 June 2013
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2013-31E-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 greenhouse cucumbers to the product label of Beleaf 50SG Insecticide, containing technical grade flonicamid, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Beleaf 50SG Insecticide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 29796.

The evaluation of this flonicamid 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.

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 flonicamid is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps). summary of the field trial data used to support the proposed MRL can be found in Appendix I.

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 MRL, to replace the MRL already established for cucumbers, is as follows.

Table 1 Proposed Maximum Residue Limit for Flonicamid

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppmTable 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 a) Proposed to revise the currently established MRL of 0.4 ppm (EMRL2011-48). Return to table 1 footnote 2 referrer
Flonicamid	N-(cyanomethyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide, including the metabolites 4-trifluoromethylnicotinic acid, N-(4-trifluoromethylnicotinoyl) glycine and 4-trifluoromethylnicotinamide	1.5Table 1 footnote 2	Cucumbers

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 by pesticide or by food commodity.

International Situation and Trade Implications

The MRL proposed for flonicamid in Canada is the same as the corresponding American tolerance as listed in the  Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. Currently, there are no Codex MRLs^{Footnote 1} listed for flonicamid in or on any commodity on the Codex Alimentarius  Pesticide Residues in Food webpage.

Next Steps

The PMRA invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRL for flonicamid 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 it is entered into the Maximum Residue Limit Database.

Appendix I

Summary of Field Trial Data Used to Support the Proposed Maximum Residue Limit

Residue data from supervised greenhouse residue trials conducted in the United States and Canada were submitted to support the domestic use of Beleaf 50SG Insecticide on greenhouse cucumbers. Flonicamid was applied to greenhouse cucumbers with an adjuvant included in the spray mixture, and harvested according to label directions.

Maximum Residue Limit(s)

The recommendation for a maximum residue limit (MRL) for flonicamid was based upon the submitted greenhouse trial data, and the use of the  OECD MRL Calculator as the MRL statistical methodology. Table A1 summarizes the data used to calculate the proposed MRL for cucumbers.

Table A1 Summary of Field Trial and Processing Data Used to Support Maximum Residue Limit(s)

Commodity	Application Method/ Total Application Rate (g a.i./ha)	PHITable 1 footnote 1 (days)	Residues (ppm)		Experimental Processing Factor
			Min	Max
Table 2 footnotes Table 2 footnote 1 PHI = pre-harvest interval Return to table 2 footnote 1 referrer
Greenhouse cucumbers	Foliar application/ 294-326	0	<0.106	<0.775	Not applicable
	Simulated chemigation/ 296-302		<0.079	<0.341

Following the review of all available data, an MRL of 1.5 ppm is recommended to cover residues of flonicamid. Residues of flonicamid in cucumbers at the proposed MRL will not pose an unacceptable risk to any segment of the population, including infants, children, adults and seniors.