WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1437/Add.1 
18 June 2007 
 
 (07-2534) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
Addendum
 
 
 
The following communication, received on 8 June 2007, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of United States.  
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Propanil, Phenmedipham, Trialla te, and MCPA; Tolerance Actions
 
 
In this final rule, EPA is revoking certain to lerances and tolerance exemptions because these 
specific tolerances and exemptions correspond to uses  no longer current or registered under FIFRA in 
the United States.  The tolerances  revoked by this final rule are no longer necessary to cover residues 
of the relevant pesticides in or on domestically  treated commodities or commodities treated outside 
but imported into the United States.  It is EPA's  general practice to revoke those tolerances and 
tolerance exemptions for residues of pesticide ac tive ingredients on crop uses for which there are no 
active registrations under FIFRA, unless any person in comments on the proposal indicates a need for the tolerance or tolerance exemption to cover residues in or on imported commodities or domestic 
commodities legally treated. 
 
The Agency has determined that the federal to lerance should be amende d as follows (in ppm): 
 
Propanil - Cattle, fat: 0.10; Cattle, meat: 0.05; Cattle, meat byproducts: 1.0; Crayfish:     0.05; 
Egg: 0.30; Goat, fat: 0.10; Goat, meat: 0.05 Goat, meat byproducts: 1.0; Hog, fat: 0.10; Hog, meat: 
0.05; Hog, meat byproducts: 1.0; Horse, fat: 0.10 Horse, meat; 0.05 Horse, meat byproducts: 1.0; 
Milk: 0.05; Poultry, fat: 0.05; Poultry, meat: 0.10; Poultry, meat byproducts: 0.50; Rice, bran: 40; Rice, grain: 10; Rice, hulls: 30; Rice, straw: 75 Sheep, fat: 0.10; Sheep, meat: 0.05; Sheep, meat 
byproducts: 1.0.  
Phenmedipham - Beet, garden, roots: 0.2; Beet, ga rden, tops: 0.2; Beet, sugar, dried pulp: 0.5; 
Beet, sugar, molasses: 0.2; Beet, sugar, roots: 0.1; Beet, sugar, tops: 0.1; Spinach: 4.0  
Triallate - Barley, grain: 0.05; Barley, hay: 1.0;  Barley, straw: 0.3; Beet, sugar, dried pulp: 
0.2; Beet, sugar, roots:  0.1; Beet, sugar, tops: 0.5; Pea, dry: 0.2; Pea, field, hay: 1.0; Pea, field, vines: 
0.5; Pea, succulent: 0.2; Wheat, grain: 0.05; Wheat, hay: 1.0; Wheat, straw: 1.0. 
 
MCPA - Alfalfa, forage: 0.5; Alfalfa, hay: 2.0;  Barley, grain: 1.0; Barley, hay: 40; Barley, 
straw: 25; Clover, forage: 0.5; Clover, hay: 2.0; Flax, seed: 0.1; Grass, forage: 300; Grass, hay: 20; Lespedeza, forage: 0.5; Lespedeza, hay: 2.0; Oat, fo rage: 20; Oat, grain: 1.0; Oat, hay: 115; Oat, 
straw: 25; Pea, dry: 0.1; Pea, field, hay:  0.1; Pea, succulent: 0.1; Pea, field, vines: 0.1; Rye, forage: 
20; Rye, grain: 1.0; Rye, straw: 25; Trefoil, forage: 0.5; Trefoil, hay: 2.0; Vetch, forage: 0.5; Vetch, 
hay: 2.0; Wheat, forage: 20; Wheat, grain: 1.0; Wheat, hay: 115; Wheat, straw: 25; Cattle, fat: 0.1; G/SPS/N/USA/1437/Add.1 
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  Cattle, meat: 0.1; Cattle, meat byproducts: 0.1; Goa t: 0.1; Goat, meat.: 0.1; Goat, meat byproducts: 
0.1; Hog, fat: 0.1; Hog, meat: 0.1; Hog, meat bypro ducts: 0.1; Horse, fat: 0.1; Horse, meat: 0.1; Horse, 
meat byproducts: 0.1; Milk: 0.1; Sheep, fat: 0.1; Sheep, meat: 0.1; Sheep, meat byproducts: 0.1   EPA received three comments during the 60-day public comment period, as follows: 
 
 The MCPA Task Force Three submitted a co mment requesting the published tolerance for 
`"cattle, meat and meat byproducts''  be changed from the proposed 0.1 ppm to 0.5 ppm.  The Task 
force has conducted a new Magnitude of the Residu es in Meat and Milk Study, according to the 
Agency guidelines, that supports a 0.5 ppm toleranc e.  The new study will be submitted to the Agency 
as soon as it is issued which, according to the MCPA Task Force Three, is well in advance of the due 
date requested by the Agency in the Data Call-In.  The task force did not take issue with any of the 
proposed tolerances for revocation.   The Agency acknowledges the cooperation and e ffort the MCPA Task Force Three has put 
forth to fulfill the requirements of the reregistrati on Data Call-In Notice.  When the Magnitude of the 
Meat and Milk Study is received, reviewed, a ri sk assessment conducted and safety finding is made, 
EPA will make a determination as to the whether the current tolerance of 0.1 ppm is still appropriate 
or should be changed.   A comment was received from a private citizen that expressed concern with pesticide residues 
in general and that pesticide residue levels s hould be zero.  Concern was also expressed for the 
number of chemicals found in the bodies of adults and children.   The private citizen's comment did not take i ssue with the Agency's conclusion that specific 
tolerances in this action should be revoked, estab lished and/or modified.  The Agency conducts a 
detailed risk assessment to determine whether estab lishing and/or increasing tolerances is safe; i.e., 
there is a reasonable certainty that no harm w ill result from aggregate exposure to the pesticide 
chemical residue.  Also, it is EPA's general practic e to propose revocation of tolerances for residues of 
pesticide active ingredients on crop uses for which FIFRA registrations no longer exist.   A comment was received from the California Rice Commission (CRC). CRC expressed 
concern that the increased US tolerance for pr opanil in/on rice grain from 2 ppm to 10 ppm could 
result in a trade irritant with Japan, a major importer of California rice whose Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) on rice grain is 2 ppm.  According to the CRC propanil is the most important herbicide to the California rice industry; a significant percentage of the rice grown in California is exported to Japan; propanil residues on California grown rice ar e non- detectable for propanil; and the tolerance 
level of 10 ppm is based on an outlier residue level of 8.7 ppm. 
  The CRC brought this important issue to th e attention of the Agency when the RED 
Amendment was released in 2006.  The US tolera nce is a national level based on uses and residue 
data generated on rice grown in Arkansas, Californi a, Louisiana, and Texas showing multiple residue 
detections above 2 parts per million (ppm) up to 8.7 ppm supporting a tolerance level of 10 ppm.  
Avoiding potential trade irritants is of paramount  interest, unfortunately, no new data have been 
generated or submitted to the Agency to change the basis of the tolerance level.  If additional propanil 
field trial residue data on rice were  generated and provided to the Agency, the tolerance level on rice 
grain would be reconsidered.  
 This regulation is effective 23 May 2007.  Ob jections and requests for hearings must be 
received on or before 23 July 2007, and may be identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-
0586.  G/SPS/N/USA/1437/Add.1 
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 The full text of this addendum (Final  Rule) can be found at the address below. 
 Federal Register: 23 May 2 007 (Volume 72, Number 99)Rul es and Regulations Page 28881-
28889;  http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA -PEST/2007/May/Day-23/p9912.htm . 
 
This action is subsequent to a notice publishe d in the Federal Register 27 September 2006, in 
which EPA proposed to revoke or modify tole rance for the above compounds on the above 
commodities.  This notice can be found at:  Federal Register: 27 September 2006 (Volume 71, 
Number 187)Proposed Rules Page 56425-56433; http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-
PEST/2006/September/ Day-27/p15841.htm  
 
 United States SPS National Notification Authority, US DA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 20250;  Tel.:+(1 202) 720-
1301;  Fax: +(1 202) 690-0677;   E-mail: fstsd@fas.usda.gov 
 
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