G/SPS/GEN/1589  
 
1 Novem ber 2017 
(17-5922) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
OECD WORK ON PESTICIDES  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE OECD  
The followi ng communication, received on 31 October  2017, is being circulated at the request of 
the OECD . 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  The Pesticides Programme, managed by the Working Group on Pesticides (WGP), was created 
in 1992 to help OECD member countries:  
 harmonise the ir pesticide review procedures;  
 share the wor k of evaluating pesticides; and  
 reduce risks  associated w ith pesticide use.  
1.2.  Below is some information about the two OECD groups which are of main interest to the work 
of the WTO SPS Committee.  
2  RESIDUE CHEMISTRY EX PERT GROUP  
2.1.  The Residue Chemistry Expert Group (RCEG) was established in 2003. Its objectives are to: 
 harmonise the way residue testing is conduct ed and results are interpreted; and  
 develop methods to support international harmonisation of MRL s (the OECD does not set 
MRLs).  
2.2.  The FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) secretar iat is an observ er in the 
RCEG.  
2.3.  Nine OECD Test Guidelines  have been published, as follows: TG 501  Metabolism in Crops; 
TG 502 Metabolism in Rotational Crops; TG 503  Metabolism in Livestock; TG 504 Residues in 
Rotational Crops (Limited Field Studies); TG 505  Residues in Livestock; TG 506 Stability of 
Pesticide Residues in Stored Commodities; TG 507  Nature of Pesticide Residues in Processed 
Commodities - High Temperature -Hydrolysis; TG 508  Magnitude of Pesticide Residues in 
Processed Commodities; and TG 509  Crop Field Trial.  
2.4.  Seven Guidance Documents  are available: Definition of Residue; Overview of Residue 
Chemistry Studies; Magnitude of Pesticide Residues in Processed Commodities; Pesticide Residue 
Analytical Methods; Crop Field Trials; and Residues in Livesto ck. In 2016, the second edition of the 
2011 Guidance Document on Crop Field Trials (which deals with proportionality issues, clarifies 
sampling procedures and takes into account national/Codex information on recent changes in crop 
groups) was published.  
2.5.  The MRL Calculator , a tool for statistical calculation of MRLs was published in 2011. It is an 
Excel spreadsheet which is easy to use and does not require an extensive knowledge of statistics.  
2.6.  All the documents mentioned above and the MRL calculator are ava ilable on the OECD public 
web site: http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/pesticides -biocides/publicationsonpesticideresidues.htm . G/SPS/GEN/1589  
 
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  2.7.  The RCEG has developed a new Guidan ce Document  (GD) for Rotational Crop Fiel d Trials. 
The draft GD has been distributed for a second broad commenting round through the WGP and the 
WNT (the Working Group of National Co -ordinators of the Test Guidelines Programme) in the 
second half of 2017. Currently, the draft GD is under revision by the RCEG that aims to address 
the comments received in the second commenting round and it is expected to be published in the 
beginning of 2018.  
2.8.  Potential future work of the expert group includes the development of new Guidance 
Document s on residues in honey and in aquaculture fish arising from residues in aquaculture feeds 
and the revision of the OECD TG 509 on Crop Field Trials. The RCEG also plans to revise the 
Definition of Residue Guidance Document and provid e input to the revision of the international 
estimated short -term intake (IESTI) methodology.  
3  EXPERT GROUP ON MINO R USES  
3.1.  The Expert Group on Minor Uses (EGMU) was established in 2007. The current work plan of 
the OECD EGMU focuses on issues associated with  cooperation, technical and policy activities with 
the aim of facilitating the development of data and registration of pe sticides for minor uses. 
As with many OECD chemicals and pesticide projects, the EGMU works towards providing the 
infrastructure, guida nce and tools for promoting the registration of pesticides for minor uses, 
including aspects of data requirements, data generation and opportunities for harmonisation to 
make available data useful across countries. The OECD work focuses on developing tools  for risk 
assessment and mechanisms to facilitate co -operation and work -sharing. For further information, 
see the OECD website: http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/pesticides -biocides/mi noruses.htm . 
3.2.  Two Guidance Documents  have been published: a Guidance Document on Defining Minor 
Uses of Pesticides and a Guidance Document on Regulatory Incentives for the Registration of 
Pesticide M inor Uses.  
3.3.  Two survey reports  have been published: the Sur vey Results on Regulatory Incentives for the 
Registration of Pesticide Minor Uses and the Survey Results on Efficacy & Crop Safety Data 
Requirements and Guidelines for the Registration of Pesticid e Minor Uses.  
3.4.  All OECD Minor Uses publications are available  at: 
http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/pesticides -biocides/publicationsonminorusesofpesticides.htm . 
3.5.  Currently, three main activ ities are underway, as follows.  
3.1  Project 1: Work towards developing a Guidance Document to address & solve issues 
related to minor uses  
3.6.  Responses to a 2013 survey to collect information on existing national and regional processes 
and known data exchanges are being analysed and a report o f the survey was made available in 
September 2015. The survey report will now be utilised to form the basis of developing an OECD 
Guidance Document  to address and solve issues related to minor uses. Other information sources 
such as further detailed backgr ound provided during the survey about various different approaches 
and program mes operating internationally will also be utilised.  
3.7.  As part of the survey, members were requested to propose a suitable crop for establishing a 
joint project. Many diverse sugge stions were made as to a potential crop. The Netherlands, 
Australia and the secretariat considered the suggested crops and also discussed if EGMU members 
themselves who are largely  regulatory authorities had the capacity (including funding and 
mandate) to conduct a data generation project. They also noted that the first Global Minor Use 
Priority Setting Workshop was held in September 2015 where the objective was to establish joint 
global data generation projects for minor uses, and for which many EGMU membe rs were involved. 
It was determined that rather than duplicate work being initiated elsewhere that EGMU would 
utilise the priorities identified from that process and offer regulatory support to the identified 
priority projects going forward. The EGMU had a greed to work with the leads of those projects to 
offer input to facilitate agreement of a global data package acceptable to regulators and in turn 
explore the possible establishment of a joint review of the data when available. Further progress G/SPS/GEN/1589  
 
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  was noted in the last Global Minor Use Summit 3 that was held in October 2017 that will feed in 
the OECD effort to develop the Guidance Document . 
3.2  Project 2: Global Joint Reviews (GJRs) – Enhancing minor uses from GJRs  
3.8.  Information on GJRs relevant for minor uses is being collated as part of the existing work 
associated with the Global Joint Review MRL Analysis project and further sources of information 
are being explored. The first aim of the work is to identify differences in uses (crops) approved in 
various countri es through GJRs. Subsequent aims would involve identifying the reasons for these 
differences and activities or initiatives that could enhance the scope of minor uses approved 
amongst countries through GJRs.  
3.3  Project 3: Work towards developing a Guidance Doc ument on the exchange and use 
of international efficacy & crop safety data  for minor uses  
3.9.  A draft of the Guidance Document  is being developed that will be available for further review 
by members in the first quarter of 2018. While some OECD countries do no t currently require 
efficacy data, it was confirmed as an important consideration amo ngst the EGMU participants. 
The first step of the project – collecting and compiling information and data relating to pesticides 
efficacy for minor uses crops – is complet ed. 
3.10.   Potential future work of the expert group includes the development of processes for future 
minor use submissions in assessing trial protocols and establishing exchanges and sharing of 
minor use data or assessments. The EGMU will work actively together with the EU Minor Uses 
Coordination Facility (EUMUCF) to progress this activity against the global minor use priorities that 
resulted from Global Minor Use Summit, October 2017. The EGMU also plans with the same 
partners to develop and maintain ways to org anise information including recent minor use 
approvals, minor use needs (gaps) and current projects . 
3.11.   Finally, the EGMU and OECD 's Expert Group on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are 
considering a thought starter on how IPM tools and technologies, includin g bio-pesticides, can help 
fill the gaps in available crop protection products as regards minor uses. The thought starter was 
discussed at the 2016 meeting of the Working Group on Pesticides. The group agreed that there is, 
in principle, no difference betw een minor uses and major uses with regard to the implementation 
of IPM and highlighted the importance of IPM, the need for communication in and between 
countries and the need to harmonise concepts, not necessarily methodologies,  due to country 
specific nee ds. 
 
 
 
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Tel: +33 1 85 -55-64-23 Fax: +33 1 44 -30-61-80 
magdalini.sachana@oecd.org// www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety  
 
 
__________  
  
Magda Sachana  
Policy Analyst    
Environment Health and Safety Division  
Environment Directorate, OECD