G/SPS/N/AUS/385  
 
21 April 2016  
(16-2255)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: AUSTRALIA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Foods sold in Australia (both imported and domestically 
produced) 
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: Proposal P1027 - Managing Low Level Agricultural and 
Veterinary Chemicals withou t Maximum Residue Limits  Language(s): English  Number 
of pages: 27 
6. Description of content: This Proposal seeks to include all other foods MRLs or the 
alternate all other foods except animal commodities MRLs, for the presence in food 
commodities of inadvertent residues of agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals 
currently listed in Schedule 20 in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code . It 
addresses the long-standing problem of the ze ro tolerance approach to the presence of 
low level inadvertent agvet chemical residues in food commodities (domestically 
produced and imported) sold in Australia. 
The all other foods MRLs were proposed us ing a pilot methodology developed for an 
initial sub-set of twenty-one chemicals already listed in the Code, based on case-by-case 
risk assessment including dietary exposure assessment. The all other foods MRLs apply to foods other than the primary commodity, raw agricultural commodity or derived foods that have MRLs currently listed in the Code for the particular chemical. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial  n u m b e r  o f  C o d e x  
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[X] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   G/SPS/N/AUS/385 
 
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  [ ] Yes   [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: Codex does not specify a default MRL for agvet chemicals 
without MRLs and has not established "low level" MRLs for the presence of inadvertent 
agvet residues in food commodities. However, the scientific methodology used to establish the "all other foods MRLs" or "all other foods except animal commodities MRLs" 
is consistent with international best practice for the dietary risk assessment of chemical 
residues in food. 
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: 
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code  (available in English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : FSANZ Board approval anticipated 
September 2016. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : Notification to Government anticipated 
September 2016 with gazettal and registration as a legislative instrument to follow, in 
December 2016, pending Government consideration. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : Date of Gazettal and registration as a legislative instrument 
pending Government consideration (see 10. above). 
[X] Trade facilitating measure  The approach removes the current zero tolerance 
to low level agvet chemical residues in food commodities due to inadvertent 
exposure, and represents a reduction of trad e barriers. It also facilitates trade by 
providing a transparent regulatory change for food importers.  
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 21 June 2016 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [X] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Food Standards Australia New Zealand 
PO Box 7186 
Canberra BC  ACT  2610 Australia Fax: +(61 2) 6271 2278 
E-mail: standards.management@foodstandards.gov.au 
Assessment summary available (in English) from FSANZ's website at 
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/c ode/proposals/Pages/P1027.aspx . 
13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Notifi cation Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Documents are available from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website: 
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/ch anges/Pages/Documents-for-public-
comment.aspx . 
Copies are also available from: 
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 Canberra  ACT  2601 
Australia 
Fax: +(61 2) 6272 3678 E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au