Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2019-04, Penthiopyrad

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
7 February 2019
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2019-4E-PDF (PDF version)

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 caneberries (crop subgroup 13-07A) and bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B) to the product label of Fontelis Fungicide, containing technical grade penthiopyrad, is acceptable. The specific uses approved in Canada are detailed on the label of Fontelis Fungicide, Pest Control Products Act Registration Number 30331.

The evaluation of these penthiopyrad applications indicated that the end-use product has 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 MRLs for penthiopyrad is being conducted via this document (see Next Steps). A summary of the field trial data used to support the proposed MRLs can be found in Appendix I.

To comply with Canada's international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRLs is also being conducted internationally by notifying the World Trade Organization, as coordinated by the Canada's Notification Authority and Enquiry Point.

The proposed MRLs, to replace or be added to the MRLs already established for penthiopyrad, are as follows:

Table 1 - Proposed Maximum Residue Limits for Penthiopyrad

Common Name	Residue Definition	MRL (ppm)Footnote 1	Food Commodity
Penthiopyrad	N -[2-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-3-thienyl]-1-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide	10	Caneberries (crop subgroup 13-07A)
		6.0Footnote 2	Bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B)
Footnotes Footnote 1 ppm = parts per million Return to footnote 1 referrer Footnote 2 Lowbush blueberries and lingonberries belong to Bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B). The MRL of 6.0 ppm is proposed to replace the currently established MRLs of 3.0 ppm for lowbush blueberries and lingonberries, and establish new MRLs for the remaining food commodities in the crop subgroup. Return to footnote 2 referrer

MRLs are proposed for each commodity included in the listed crop groupings in accordance with the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups webpage in the Pesticides section of Canada.ca.

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 established MRLs, regulated under the Pest Control Products Act, both for pesticides or for food commodities.

International Situation and Trade Implications

MRLs may vary from one country to another for a number of reasons, including differences in pesticide use patterns and the locations of the crop field trials used to generate residue chemistry data.

Table 2 compares the MRLs proposed for penthiopyrad in Canada with corresponding American tolerances and Codex MRLs^{Footnote 1}. American tolerances are listed in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. A listing of established Codex MRLs is available on the Codex Alimentarius Pesticide Index webpage, by pesticide or commodity.

Table 2 - Comparison of Canadian MRLs, American Tolerances and Codex MRLs (where different)

Food Commodity	Canadian MRL (ppm)	American Tolerance (ppm)	Codex MRL (ppm)
Caneberries (crop subgroup 13-07A)	10	Not Established	Not Established
Bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B)	6.0	3.0 Berry, low growing, subgroup 13-07G Footnote 1	Not Established
Footnotes Footnote 1 Lowbush blueberries and lingonberries belong to both Crop Subgroups 13-07B and 13-07G. Return to footnote 1 referrer

Next Steps

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

Appendix I

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

Residue data for penthiopyrad in raspberries, blackberries and highbush blueberries were submitted to support the domestic use of Fontelis Fungicide on caneberries (crop subgroup 13-07A) and bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B).

Maximum Residue Limits

The recommendation for MRLs for penthiopyrad was based upon the submitted field trial data, and the guidance provided in the OECD MRL Calculator. Table A1 summarizes the residue data used to calculate the proposed MRLs for caneberries (crop subgroup 13-07A) and bushberries (crop subgroup 13-07B).

Table A1 - Summary of Field Trial Data Used to Support the MRLs

Commodity	Application Method/Total Application Rate (g a.i./ha)Footnote 1	Preharvest Interval (days)	Lowest Average Field Trial Residues (ppm)	Highest Average Field Trial Residues (ppm)
Caneberries	Foliar directed/ 1063-1120	0	1.96	4.32
Highbush blueberries	Foliar directed/ 1025-1097	0	0.573	3.890
Footnotes Footnote 1 g a.i./ha = grams of active ingredient per hectare Return to footnote 1 referrer

Following the review of all available data, MRLs as proposed in Table 1 are recommended to cover residues of penthiopyrad. Residues of penthiopyrad in these crop commodities at the proposed MRLs will not pose an unacceptable risk to any segment of the population, including infants, children, adults and seniors.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an international organization under the auspices of the United Nations that develops international food standards, including MRLs.