G/SPS/N/EU/360  
 
12 December 2019  
(19-8553) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate -
General  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Cereals (HS Codes : 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1007, 
1008), foodstuffs of animal origin (HS Codes: 0201, 0202, 0203, 0204, 0205, 0206, 0207, 
0208, 0209, 0210) and certain products of plant origin, including fruit and vegetables  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Regulation (EU) amending Annexes 
II and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
as regards maximum residue levels for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos -methyl in or on 
certain products (Text with EEA relevance) . Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  7 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/EEC/19_7070_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/EEC/19_7070_01_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The proposed draft Regulation concerns the review of the 
existin g maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the substances chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos -
methyl. MRLs for these substances are lowered. Lower MRLs are set after updating the 
limits of determination and/or deleting old uses which are not authorised any more in the 
European Union or for which a human health concern may not be excluded.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage fro m pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
Codex Maximum Residue Limits 17 – chlorpyrifos : http://www.fao.org/fao -who-
codexalimentarius/codex -texts/dbs/pestres/pesticide -detail/en/?p_id=17  
Codex Maximum Residue  Limits 90 - chlorpyrifos -methyl : http://www.fao.org/fao -who-
codexalimentarius/codex -texts/dbs/pestres/pesticide -detail/en/?p_id=90  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  G/SPS/N/EU/360  
 
- 2 - 
 
  [ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard ?  
[ ] Yes   [X] No  
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published 
statements on the available outcomes of the human health assessment in the context of 
the p esticides peer review of the active substance chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos -methyl. 
EFSA confirmed that for both substances serious concerns exist for human health: there 
is evidence for developmental neurotoxicity, which shows adverse neurological outcome s 
in children. Furthermore, a genotoxic potential cannot be excluded for the two substances. 
It is therefore not possible to set safe levels of exposure - including for residues in food. 
Based on these opinions, Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 should be amende d following a 
risk analysis approach.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
"Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant 
and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC" . 
http://eur -lex.europa.eu/legal -content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32005R0396  (available 
in English)  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : June 2020  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy ): July 2020  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : October 2020  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 10 February 2020  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 295  4263 
Fax: +(32 2) 299  8090 
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 295  4263 
Fax: +(32 2) 299  8090 
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu