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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(81)24
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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(81>24final
Brussels,26January1981
Proposalfora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
amendingAnnexIItoDirective76/895/EECrelatingtothefixingof
maximumlevelsforpesticide'residuesinandonfruitandvegetables
v..&
(submittedtotheCouncilbythe'Commission )
i
('
•Λ.
C0M(81)24final
\

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
TheproposedCouncilDirectiveseekstoamendAnnexIItoCouncilDirective
76/895/EECof23November1976relatingtothefixingofmaximumlevelsfor
(1)pesticideresiduesinandonfruitandvegetables .Ithasbeendrawn
upinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthisDirectivefollowingnotifi­
cationbytheNetherlands ofitsapplication ofArticle4thereof(theso-
called"safeguardclause")ongroundsofdangertopublichealthinrespect
ofthemaximumlevelsfixedinAnnexIIforresiduesoffenchlorphos,
dimethoate andomethoate .
TheprocedurelaiddownintheDirectiveforsuchcasesprovidesforthe
involvement oftheStandingCommitteeonPlantHealthandtheadoptionby
theCommissionofanynecessaryamendmentofthelevelsinAnnexII,on
whichtheCommitteehasexpressedafavourableopinion.Wherethe
Committeehasnotexpressedafavourableopinionorgivennoopinion,the
CommissionisrequiredtosubmittotheCouncilimmediately aproposal
onthemeasurestobetaken.TheCouncilshalladoptthembyaqualified
majoritywithin15days.If,however,theCouncilhasnotactedbythen,
theCommission mayimplementthemeasuresimmediately unlesstheCouncil
hasrejectedthembyasimplemajority.
Themaximumlevelforfenchlorphos hasalreadybeenamended,inaccordance
(2)withthisprocedure,byCommissionDirective80/428/EECof28March1980
butthecasesofdimethoate andomethoaterequiredfurtherstudyby
Commissiondepartments beforeappropriate proposalscouldbemade.
Thisworkhasbeencompletedandhasinvolvedinteraliastudyofrecently
availabledatafromresiduestrialsandlong-termtoxicitystudies,inpar­
ticularonbrainacetylcholinesterase inhibition.Theseindicatethatamore
restrictive viewshouldnowbetakenofomethoateresidues.Thepresent
proposal,whichhasbeenworkedoutafterconsultation oftheScientific Com­
mitteeforPesticides,seeksessentiallytoreducethemaximumlevellaid
downinAnnexIIforomethoate,exceptforasmallnumberofcommodities
whichformasmallproportionofdailyintakeorareusuallyconsumedafter
cooking.Itisalsoproposedtoseparatecompletelythelevelsfixedfor
dimethoateandomethoateandtomakeaconsequential adjustmenttothe
maximumlevelfordimethoate . .../...
(1)OJNoL340,9.12.1976,p.26
(2)OJNoL102,19.4.1980,p.26

-2-
Thisproposalwasreferredon15December1980foropinion
totheStandingCommitteeonPlantHealth.Duringthevoting,theDanish,
GermanandUKrepresentatives expressedthemselvesagainsttheproposal.
TheDanishrepresentative wasoftheopinionthatthelowestlevelof0.1
proposedforomethoateisneartothelowerlimitofdetermination in
certainoftheproductsconcernedanddoubtedwhetherthislevelcouldbe
officiallycontrolled.TheGermanrepresentative couldnotsupportthe
proposalsincehefeltunabletocommithisGovernmenttobringinginto
forcethenecessarynationalmeasureswithintheperiodlaiddownin
Article2.TheUnitedKingdomdisagreedwiththebasisforcalculation
oftheproposedlevelsandthoughtthatgreateraccountshouldbetaken
ofactualdietaryintakeoftreatedproducts.Therepresentatives ofthe
othersixMemberStatessupportedtheproposal.
Intheabsence,therefore,ofafavourableopinionoftheStandingCommittee,
theCouncilhasnowtoactontheproposal.Foritspart,theCommission
feelsthatthepresentmeasuresarenecessarytoavoidpossibledangerto
humanhealth.

ProposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingAnnexIItoDirective
76/895/EECrelatingtothefixingofmaximumlevelsforpesticideresidues
inandonfruitandvegetables
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
HavingregardtoCouncilDirective76/395/EECof23November1976relating
tothefixingofmaximumlevelsforpesticideresiduesinandonfruit
andvegetables^,aslastamendedbyCommissionDirective80/428/EEC^,
andinparticularArticles4and3thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
WhereasArticle4ofDirective76/395/EECprovidesthatwhereaMemberState
considersthatamaximumlevelfixedinAnnexIImightendangerthehealth
ofhumansorofanimalsotherthanharmfulorganisms,thatMemberStatemay
temporarily reducethatlevelinitsownterritory;
WhereastheKingdomoftheNetherlands hasinvokedtheprovisionsofthe
aforesaidArticleinrespectofthemaximumlevelsfixedfordimethoate,
omethoateandfenchlorphos;
Whereasfenchlorphos wasthesubjectoftheamendmentsprovidedforin
theabovementionedDirective80/428/EEC;whereastheCommission
hasnowcompleteditsfurtherstudiesontheothertwopesticides;
Whereas,onthebasisofnewscientificdata,themaximumlevellaid
downforomethoateinAnnexIImustbeamended;
Whereasitisalsodesirabletoseparatecompletelythemaximumlevels
fixedfordimethoate andomethoateandtomakeaconsequential adjustment
tothemaximumlevellaiddownfordimethoate;
WhereasintheabsenceofafavourableopinionoftheStandingCommittee
onPlantHealththeCommissionhasnotbeenable,inaccordancewith
•••/■■•
(1)OJNoL340of9.12.1976,p.26
(2)OJNoL102of19.4.1980,p.26

-2-
theprocedureprovidedforinArticle8ofDirective 76/895/EEC,toadopt
themeasuresitenvisaged;
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article 1
AnnexIItoDirective 76/895/EECirjherebyamendedasfollows:
1.Inthelastcolumnofthetable,headed"Maximumlevels(inmg/kg
(ppm))",thefigure1.5relatingtodimethoateis
replacedbythefigure1andthefigure0.4relatingtoomethoate
bythefollowing :
"0.4:cherries,witloofchicory,artichokes andspinach
0.1:berries,onions,leeksandrootvegetables
0.2:otherproducts "
2.Footnote (3)andthereferencetheretorelatingtodimethoate in
thelastcolumnofthetablearedeleted.
Article 2
TheMemberStatesshallbringintoforcethelaws,regulations andadmin­
istrativeprovisions necessarytocomplywiththisDirectivenotlater
than1January1982andshallforthwithinformtheCommissionthereof.
Article 3
ThisDirectiveisaddressed totheMemberStates.
DoneatBrussels, FortheCouncil