Regulatory Directive DIR2010-01, Update on the Status of the Revisions to the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups

8 January 2010
HC Pub.: 100001
ISBN: 978-1-100-14572-3 (print version)
ISBN: 978-1-100-14573-0 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-3/2010-1E (print version)
Catalogue number: H113-3/2010-1E (PDF version)

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Table of Contents

• 1.0 Purpose
• 2.0 Background
• 3.0 Naming Convention for Revised Crop Groups
• 4.0 Revised Crop Groups identified in this Regulatory Directive
  • 4.1 Crop Group 8-09: Fruiting Vegetables Group
  • 4.2 Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits Group
  • 4.3 Crop Group 12-09: Stone Fruits Group
  • 4.4 Addition of a crop to the Revised Crop Group 20: Oilseeds Group
• 5.0 Table of Original and Revised Residue Chemistry Crop Groups

1.0 Purpose

This document provides an update to industry and other interested parties on the status of the revisions to the residue chemistry crop grouping scheme used by the Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). On 15 May 2009, the Agency published Regulatory Directive DIR2009-01, Revisions to Residue Chemistry Crop Groups, which identified revisions to four existing crop groups and the creation of a new crop group. These revised crop groups replaced those listed in Section 15 of Regulatory Directive DIR98-02, Residue Chemistry Guidelines.

Since the publication of DIR2009-01, the PMRA has approved revisions to an additional three crop groups as well as the addition of a new oilseed crop to Crop Group 20. The revisions to the residue chemistry crops are on-going. This is the second in a series of planned crop group updates expected during the next several years. The PMRA will adopt and implement the crop groups as they are revised.

2.0 Background

Crop groupings allow 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 crop groups listed in 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:

1. update the crop groups to incorporate more than 500 "orphan crops" that were not members of an existing crop group and
2. develop new crop groups to more easily harmonize crop groups and simplify the commodity terminology for establishing MRLs.

In cooperation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the ICGCC, the PMRA is revising and updating the 20 crop groups as listed in Section 15 of DIR98-02. 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 now approved revisions to seven of the existing crop groups. Under DIR2009-01, a new crop group, Crop Group 21, Edible Fungi Group was created. In addition, the following crop groups were revised:

• 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.

The PMRA has since approved revisions to an additional 3 crop groups:

• Crop Group 8, Fruiting Vegetables Group;
• Crop Group 11, Pome Fruits Group; and
• Crop Group 12, Stone Fruits Group.

It has also approved the addition of a new oilseed crop, Calendula, to Crop Group 20. 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 identifying 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 approved by the PMRA. For example, the original fruiting vegetables crop group is identified as "Crop Group 8: Fruiting Vegetables (Except Cucurbits) Group. The revised crop group is identified as "Crop Group 8-09: Fruiting Vegetables Group" as it was approved in 2009.

4.0 Revised Crop Groups identified in this Regulatory Directive

4.1 Crop Group 8-09: Fruiting Vegetables Group

• The original Crop Group 8, Fruiting Vegetables (Except Cucurbits) Group has been modified and will be renamed Crop Group 8-09, Fruiting Vegetables Group.
• The revised crop group has been expanded from the existing 6 commodities to 21 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the revised crop group are tomato (standard size and one cultivar of small tomato); bell pepper, and one cultivar of nonbell pepper; and one cultivar of small nonbell pepper or one cultivar of small eggplant. The original representative commodity "tomato" is now designated as tomato (standard size and one cultivar of small tomato).
• Three subgroups have been created: Tomato Subgroup 8-09A, with tomato (standard size and one cultivar of small tomato) as the representative commodity; Pepper/Eggplant Subgroup 8-09B, with bell pepper and one cultivar of nonbell pepper as the representative commodities; and Nonbell Pepper/Eggplant Subgroup 8-09C, with one cultivar of small nonbell pepper or one cultivar of small eggplant as the representative commodity.

4.2 Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits Group

• The original Crop Group 11, Pome Fruits Group, has been expanded from the existing 7 commodities to 12 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the revised crop group will remain as apple and pear.
• There are no related subgroups associated with this crop group.

4.3 Crop Group 12-09: Stone Fruits Group

• The original Crop Group 12, Stone Fruits Group has been expanded from the existing 11 commodities to 22 commodities.
• The representative commodities for the crop group will remain as sweet or tart cherry, peach, and plum or prune plum. The original representative commodity "fresh prune (Prunus domestica, Prunus spp.)" is now designated as prune plum.
• Three crop subgroups have been created: Cherry Subgroup 12-09A, with sweet cherry or tart cherry as the representative commodity; Peach Subgroup 12-09B, with peach as the representative commodity; and Plum Subgroup 12-09C, with plum or prune plum as the representative commodity.

4.4 Addition of a crop to the Revised Crop Group 20: Oilseeds Group

• A new oilseed crop, Calendula, has been added to Crop Group 20, Oilseeds Group.
• This crop group now has 28 commodities.
• Calendula belongs to the Sunflower Subgroup 20B, with sunflower as the representative commodity.

5.0 Table of Original and Revised Residue Chemistry Crop Groups

Revision of the residue chemistry crop groups is an ongoing project, which 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.