EFSA modifies MRLs for pymetrozine and trifloxystrobin

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has supported part of requests to raise maximum residue limits (MRLs) in certain crops for the insecticide pymetrozine and fungicide trifloxystrobin.

The EFSA has approved to raise the existing MRLs of pymetrozine from the limit of quantification of 0.02 mg/kg to 0.5 mg/kg in azaroles and to 0.04 mg/kg in celery and fennel and and raise the existing MRLs from the limit of quantification of 0.02 mg/kg to 0.08 mg/kg for horseradish, from 0.04 mg/kg to 0.08 mg/kg for parsley root.

In order to accommodate for the intended uses of pymetrozine and trifloxystrobin, Belgium, as the evaluating Member State (EMS), proposed above requests. In addition, It also proposed to raise the existing MRLs from the limit of quantification of 0.02mg/kg to 10 mg/kg for purslane ,while the data for purslane were insufficient to derive a robust MRL proposal.So, the EFSA declined the proposal.  

According to the assessment results of EFSA , the MRL proposals on azaroles, celery and fennel are provisional because of data gaps regarding the storage stability of residues. For the modification MRL request of  fungicide trifloxystrobin, EFSA indicated that the data are sufficient to derive MRL proposals for the intended uses on horseradish and parsley, while for purslane the data were insufficient to derive a robust MRL proposal. Adequate analytical enforcement methods are available to control the residues of trifloxystrobin in the commodities under consideration. Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concludes that the proposed uses of pymetrozine on azaroles, celery and fennel and trifloxystrobin on horseradish and parsley root will not result in a consumer exposure exceeding the toxicological reference values and therefore are unlikely to pose a consumer health risk.