Some of the discussions were the following:
- News from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):
- The updated Reasoned Opinion for glyphosate is expected to be published in October.
- The results of the pilot project of the cumulative risk assessment for the chronic and acute effects of pesticide residues on the thyroid and the nervous system are expected to be published mid-September 2019.
- The 2017 European Union report on pesticide residues in food was presented.
- The Commission presented a revised draft document on Transitional Periods. As a Member State suggested alternative wording, the Commission will examine whether the proposed alternative wording will improve the document.
- The Staff Working Document and the Report to Council and Parliament on the evaluation of Regulation 396/2005 and Regulation No 1107/2009 are still under internal consultation. The submissions of those documents to the European Parliament and Council is tentatively scheduled for July 2019.
- The approach for import tolerances (IT) for substances falling under the cut-off criteria was discussed. It was stressed by some Member States that IT should be setting on the basis of a risk assessment. The need for timely communication to industry and non-EU countries was also highlighted. It was suggested considering longer timelines between initiation of work on MRLs for substances meeting the cut-off criteria and the date of application of the revised MRLs, to allow interested parties more time to either submit the necessary import tolerance requests or change their agricultural practice. Member States noted the importance of keeping track of those MRLs which are set to address an import tolerance request and believe a database would be useful for the purpose.
- The following Draft Commission Regulations had a favorable opinion:
- Draft Commission Regulation (EU) No …/… amending Annexes II, III and IV to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for 1-decanol, 2,4-D, ABE-IT 56, cyprodinil, dimethenamid, fatty alcohols, florpyrauxifen-benzyl, fludioxonil, fluopyram, mepiquat, pendimethalin, picolinafen, pyraflufen-ethyl, pyridaben, S-abscisic acid and trifloxystrobin in or on certain products (Art. 10).
- Draft Commission Regulation (EU) No …/… amending Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for imazalil in or on certain products.
- Regulation (EU) No …/… amending Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for cyflufenamid, fenbuconazole, fluquinconazole, and tembotrione in or on certain products (Art. 12).
- Regulation (EU) No …/… amending Annexes II, III and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for amitrole, fipronil, flupyrsulfuron-methyl, imazosulfuron, isoproturon, orthosulfamuron and triasulfuron in or on certain products.
- The Commission informed that following the Working Group meeting of Experts on chlorate held in Brussels on 13 May 2019, it had prepared a revised draft Regulation addressing the experts’ concerns regarding the setting of chlorate MRLs on processed food products by means of a specific footnote, the wording of which was however not accepted later by the Commission’s Legal service in an informal consultation on the grounds that it would not ensure a sufficiently high level of consumer protection for processed products in line with Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Member States were invited to submit comments by 21 June 2019.