G/SPS/N/EU/472  
 
19 March 2021  
(21-2323) 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 III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the Europea n Parliament and of the Council 
as regards maximum residue levels for flupyradifurone and difluoroacetic acid in or on 
certain products (Text with EEA relevance) . Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  8 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/SPS/EEC/21_2074_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/SPS/EEC/21_2074_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 flupyradifurone and 
difluoroacetic acid. MRLs for these substances are either increased, maintained or 
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 from 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 285 - 
flupyradifurone  
http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/codex -
texts/dbs/pestres/pesticide -detail/en/?p_id=285  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Conventi on (e.g.  ISPM number) :  G/SPS/N/EU/472  
 
- 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 current EU policy is to align EU MRLs with CXLs if three 
conditions are fulfilled: (i) that the E uropean Union sets MRLs for the commodity under 
consideration; (ii) that the current EU MRL is lower than the CXL; and (iii) that the CXL is 
acceptable to the E uropean Union with respect to aspects such as consumer protection, 
supporting data, and extrapolations.  
Where  the European Union considers that a proposed CXL is not acceptable, it makes a 
reservation to the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). Reservations made by 
the European Union are listed in the relevant CCPR reports:  
http://www.fao.org/fao -who-codexalimentarius/committees/committee/related -
meetings/en/?committee=CCPR . 
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) : October 2021  
Proposed date of public ation (dd/mm/yy) : November 2021  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [X]  Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) :  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 18 May 2021  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if availa ble) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
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) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu