Regulatory Directive DIR2009-01, Revisions to Residue Chemistry Crop Groups

15 May 2009
HC Pub: 8268
ISBN: 978-1-100-10921-3(print version)
ISBN: 978-1-100-10922-0 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-3/2009-1E (print version)
Catalogue number: H113-3/2009-1E-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.

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this document is to communicate to industry and other interested parties the revisions made to the residue chemistry crop grouping scheme used by the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). To date, the PMRA has approved revisions to four of the existing crop groups as well as the creation of a new crop group. These revised crop groups replace those listed in Section 15 of Regulatory Directive DIR98-02, Residue Chemistry Guidelines. Revisions to the crop groups are on-going. The PMRA will adopt and implement the crop groups as they are revised. This is the first in a series of planned crop group updates expected during the next several years.

2.0 Background

Crop grouping allows maximum residue limits (MRLs) to be established for multiple related crops based on data from a representative set of crops. The crop grouping concept leads to an estimate of the maximum residue level that could occur on any crop within the group. Crop groups enable the registration expansion and establishment of MRLs for groups of similar crops based on residue data from certain representative commodities. The current crop groups listed in Regulatory Directive DIR98-02 were based on revisions made in 1995.

As a result of the 2002 United States Department of Agriculture / Interregional Research Project No. 4 (IR-4) International Crop Grouping Symposium, the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee (ICGCC) was established to a) update the crop groups to incorporate more than 500 "orphan crops" that were not members of an existing crop group, and b) develop new crop groups to more easily harmonize crop groups and simplify the commodity terminology for establishing MRLs.

In co-operation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the ICGCC, the PMRA is revising and updating the 20 crop groups as currently listed in Section 15 of Regulatory Directive DIR98-02, Residue Chemistry Guidelines. The PMRA expects these revisions to promote more extensive use of crop groupings for MRL setting purposes and, in particular, facilitate the availability of pesticides for minor crop uses.

To date, the PMRA has approved revisions to four of the existing crop groups:

• Crop Group 3, Bulb Vegetables Group;
• Crop Group 10, Citrus Fruits Group;
• Crop Group 13, Berries and Small Fruits Group; and
• Crop Group 20, Oilseeds Group.

It has also created a new crop group, Crop Group 21, Edible Fungi Group. These revisions expand the existing crop groups by adding new commodities, establishing new crop subgroups and revising the representative crops in some groups.

3.0 Naming Convention for Revised Crop Groups

In order to create a clear distinction between existing and revised crop groups, a standardized naming format has been adopted for titling revised crop groups. The revised crop groups will retain the same (or similar) name and number as the original crop group, except that the number will be followed by a hyphen and the final two digits of the year it was established.

For example, the original bulb vegetable crop group is identified as "Crop Group 3: Bulb Vegetables (Allium spp.) Group. The revised crop group is identified as "Crop Group 3-07: Bulb Vegetables Group" as it was established in 2007.

4.0 Revised Crop Groups identified in this Regulatory Directive

4.1 Crop Group 3-07: Bulb Vegetables Group

• The original Crop Group 3, Bulb Vegetables (Allium spp.) has been modified and will be titled Crop Group 3-07, Bulb Vegetables Group.
• The revised crop group has been expanded from the existing 7 commodities to 26 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the crop group will remain as onion, bulb and onion, green. The original representative "onion, dry bulb" is now designated as onion, bulb.
• Two crop subgroups have been created: Bulb Onion Subgroup 3-07A with onion, bulb as the representative commodity and Green Onion as Subgroup 3-07B with onion and green onion as the representative commodity.

4.2 Crop Group 10: Citrus Fruits Group

• The original Crop Group 10, Citrus Fruits (Citrus spp., Fortunella spp.) Group, has been modified.
• The revised crop group has been expanded from the existing 12 commodities to 28 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the revised crop group will be either orange or tangerine/mandarin, either lemon or lime, and grapefruit.
• Three crop subgroups have been created: Orange Subgroup 107A with orange or tangerine/mandarin as the representative commodity, Lemon/Lime Subgroup 10B with lemon or lime as the representative crop and Grapefruit Subgroup 10C with grapefruit as the representative commodity.

4.3 Crop Group 13-07: Berry and Small Fruits Group

• The original Crop Group 13, Berries Group, has been modified and will be titled Crop Group 13-07, Berry and Small Fruits Group.
• The revised crop group has been expanded from the existing 8 commodities to 46 commodities.
• The original crop group was divided into two subgroups, 13A and 13B. These subgroups have been kept and renamed crop subgroups 13-07A and 13-07B with one additional commodity added to 13-07A and 13 commodities added to 13-07B.
• The original Crop Group13, Berries Group, has been revised to include the following six new subgroups:
  1. Large Shrub/Tree Berry Subgroup 13-07C and the representative commodities are Elderberry or Mulberry;
  2. Small Fruit Vine Climbing Subgroup 13-07D and the representative commodities are grape and fuzzy kiwifruit;
  3. Small Fruit Vine Climbing Subgroup, except Grape, 13-07E and the representative commodity is fuzzy kiwifruit;
  4. Small Fruit Vine Climbing Subgroup except fuzzy kiwifruit, 13-07F and the representative commodity is grape;
  5. Low Growing Berry Subgroup 13-07G and the representative commodity is strawberry;
  6. Low Growing Berry Subgroup, except Strawberry, 13-07H and the representative commodity is cranberry.

4.4 Crop Group 20: Oilseeds Group

• The original Crop Group 20, Oilseeds Group, has been modified.
• The revised crop group has been expanded from the existing 8 commodities to 27 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the revised crop group will be rapeseed (canola varieties only), sunflower seed and cottonseed.
• Three crop subgroups have been created: Rapeseed Subgroup 20A with rapeseed (canola varieties only) as the representative commodity, Sunflower Subgroup 20B with sunflower as the representative commodity and Cottonseed Subgroup 20C with cotton as the representative commodity.

4.5 New Crop Group 21: Edible Fungi Group

A new crop group has been established for edible fungi and will be titled Crop Group 21, Edible Fungi Group.

• This new crop group has 20 commodities.
• The representative commodities for this crop group are white button mushroom and any one oyster or Shiitake mushroom.
• There are no related subgroups associated with this crop group.

5.0 Table of Original and Revised Residue Chemistry Crop Groups

The revisions to the residue chemistry crop groups is an ongoing project and is expected to take a number of years to complete. To track the progress of the revisions, the PMRA has prepared a Residue Chemistry Crop Group spreadsheet, which lists the original crop groups as per DIR98-02, as well as the revised crop groups (where applicable). This spreadsheet will be updated to reflect revisions to the crop groups when they are accepted and adopted by the PMRA as part of the work of the ICGCC.

Notification of future revisions to the remaining residue chemistry crop groups will be published on a regular basis with a link to the Residue Chemistry Crop Group spreadsheet.