Commission Recommendation of 19 August 2002 concerning a coordinated Community monitoring programme for 2003 to ensure compliance with maximum levels of pesticide residues in and on cereals and certain other products of plant origin (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2002) 3084)
Date: 2002-08-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, cereals, crop production, exchange of information, health control, pesticide residue

22.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 225/29

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

of 19 August 2002

concerning a coordinated Community monitoring programme for 2003 to ensure compliance with
maximum levels of pesticide residues in and on cereals and certain other products of plant origin

(notified under document number C(2002) 3084)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2002/663/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 86/362/EEC of 24 July
1986 on the fixing of maximum levels for pesticide residues in
and on cereals (1), as last amended by Commission Directive
2002/42/EC (2), and in particular Article 7(2)(b) thereof,

Having regard to Council Directive 90/642/EEC of 27
November 1990 on the fixing of maximum levels for pesticide
residues in and on certain products of plant origin, including
fruit and vegetables (3), as last amended by Directive 2002/42/
EC, and in particular Article 4(2)(b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Article 7(2)(b) of Directive 86/362/EEC and Article
4(2)(b) of Directive 90/642/EEC require the Commission
to submit to the Standing Committee on Plant Health by
31 December each year a recommendation setting out a
coordinated Community monitoring programme
to
ensure compliance for maximum levels of pesticide resi-
dues set out in the Annexes II to the said Directives.
Article 1(1) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 645/
2000 (4) provides that such recommendations may cover
periods of between one and five years.

The Commission should progressively work towards a
system which would permit the estimation of dietary
exposure to actual pesticide, as provided for in the
second paragraph of Article 7(3) of Directive 86/362/
EEC and the second paragraph of Article 4(3) of Direc-
tive 90/642/EEC. To make realistic estimations possible,

data on the monitoring of pesticide residues should be
available in a number of food products which constitute
major components of the European diet. It is generally
recognised that major components of the European diet
are constituted by some 20 to 30 food products. In view
of the resources available at national level for pesticide
residue monitoring, Member States are only able to
analyse samples of eight products each year within a
coordinated monitoring programme. Pesticide uses show
changes within the timescale of the three-year period.
Each pesticide should thus generally be monitored in 20
to 30 food products over a series of three-year cycles.

(3)

Residues of the pesticides acephate, the benomyl group,
iprodione, methamidophos, diazinon,
chlorpyriphos,
metalaxyl, methidathion,
triazophos
thiabendazole,
chlorpyriphos-methyl, deltamethrin, endosulfan, imazalil,
kresoxim-methyl, lambda-cyhalothrin, the maneb group,
mecarbam, permethrin, pirimiphos-methyl, vinclozolin,
azinphos-methyl, captan, chlorothalonil, dichlofluanid,
dicofol, dimethoate, folpet, malathion, omethoate, oxyde-
meton-methyl, phorate, procymidone, propyzamide,
azoxystrobine, aldicarb, bromopropylate, cypermethrin,
methiocarb, methomyl, parathion and tolylfluanid should
be monitored in 2003, as this will allow using these data
for the estimation of actual dietary exposure to them,
since these compounds have already been monitored
since 2001.

(1) OJ L 221, 7.8.1986, p. 37.
(2) OJ L 134, 22.5.2002, p. 29.
(3) OJ L 350, 14.12.1990, p. 71.
(4) OJ L 78, 29.3.2000, p. 7.

(4)

A systematic statistical approach to numbers of samples
to be taken in each coordinated monitoring exercise is
necessary. Such an approach has been set out by the

L 225/30

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Official Journal of the European Communities

22.8.2002

Commission of the Codex Alimentarius (1). Based on a
binomial probability distribution it can be calculated that
examination of 459 samples gives a 99 % confidence of
detecting one sample containing pesticide residues above
the limit of determination (LOD) where 1 % of products
of plant origin contain residues above the LOD. At least
459 samples
the
Community. Collection of
these samples should be
apportioned between Member States on the basis of
population and consumer numbers, with a minimum of
12 samples per product and per year.

should therefore be taken across

Draft guidelines concerning Quality Control Procedures
for Pesticide Residue Analysis have been published by
the Commission (2). It is agreed that these draft guide-
lines should be implemented as far as possible by the
analytical laboratories of the Member States and should
be reviewed continuously in the light of experience
gained in the monitoring programmes.

Article 4(2)(a) of Directive 90/642/EEC and Article
7(2)(a) of Directive 86/362/EEC requires Member States
to specify the criteria applied in drawing up their
inspection programmes when sending to the
national
Commission information on their
implementation
during the following year. Such information should
include the criteria applied in determining the numbers
of samples to be taken and analyses to be carried out
and the reporting levels applied and the criteria by which
the reporting levels have been fixed. Details of accredita-
tion under Council Directive 93/99/EEC of 29 October
1993 on the subject of additional measures concerning
the official control of foodstuffs (3) of the laboratories
carrying out analyses should be indicated.

Information on the results of monitoring programmes is
particularly appropriate for treatment, storage and trans-
mission by electronic/informatic methods. Formats have
been developed for supply of data in diskette form from
the Member States to the Commission. Member States
should therefore be able to send their reports to the
Commission in the standard format. The further develop-
ment of such a standard format is most effectively under-
taken by the development of guidelines by the Commis-
sion.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

The measures provided for in this recommendation are
in accordance with the opinion of
the Standing
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

(1) Codex Alimentarius, Pesticide Residues in Foodstuffs, Rome 1994,

ISBN 92-5-203271-1; Vol.2, page 372.

(2) Document Number SANCO/3103/2000 (http://europa.eu.int/comm/

food/fs/ph_ps/pest/index_en.htm).

(3) OJ L 290, 24.11.1993, p. 14.

HEREBY RECOMMENDS:

Article 1

Member States are invited to take and analyse samples for the
product/pesticide residue combinations set out in Annex I, on
the basis of the number of samples of each product allocated to
them in Annex II, reflecting as appropriate, national, Commu-
nity and third country share of the Member State’s market.

In addition, Member States are invited to specifically monitor
for the combination nitrofen/wheat with the same sampling
frequency as outlined in Annex II.

For pesticides possibly posing an acute risk, such as OP-esters,
the
endosulfan and N-methylcarbamates, 10 samples of
products grapes, pepper and cucumber should be subjected to
individual analysis of the individual units in the laboratory
sample in case such pesticides are detected.

Two samples of an appropriate number of units should be
taken, where possible the produce of a single producer; if in the
first,
laboratory sample a detectable level of the pesticide is
found, the units of the second sample should be analysed indi-
vidually.

Article 2

Member States are invited to report the results for the part of
the specific exercise allocated for 2003 in Annex I by 31
August 2004,
indicating the analytical methods used and
reporting levels achieved, in accordance with the quality control
procedures set out in the Quality Control Procedures for Pesti-
cide Residue Analysis.

The report should be produced in a format — including the
electronic format — conforming to the Working Document for
guidance to the Member States with regard to implementation
of Commission recommendations
concerning coordinated
Community monitoring programmes, set out in Annex III to
Commission Recommendation 1999/333/EC (4).

Article 3

Member States are invited to send to the Commission and to all
other Member States, by 31 August 2004, all the information
as required by Article 7(3) of Directive 86/362/EEC and Article
4(3) of Directive 90/642/EEC concerning the 2003 monitoring
exercise to ensure, at least by check sampling, compliance with
maximum pesticide residue levels including:

(a) the results of their national programmes concerning pesti-
cides listed in the Annexes II of Directives 86/362/EEC and
90/642/EEC,
in relation to harmonised levels and, where
these have not yet been fixed at Community level, in rela-
tion to the national levels in force;

(4) OJ L 128, 21.5.1999, p. 25.

22.8.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 225/31

in particular,

(b) information on their laboratories quality control procedures
and,
information concerning aspects of the
guidelines concerning Quality Control Procedures for Pesti-
cide Residue Analysis which they have not been able to
apply or have had difficulty in applying;

Article 4

Member States are invited to send to the Commission, by 30
September 2003, their intended national programme for moni-
toring maximum pesticide residue levels fixed by Directive 90/
642/EEC and 86/362/EEC for the year 2004.

This Recommendation is addressed to the Member States.

(c) information on accreditation in accordance with the provi-
sions of Article 3 of Directive 93/99/EEC (including type of
accreditation, accreditation body and copy of accreditation
certificate) of the laboratories carrying out the analyses;

Done at Brussels, 19 August 2002.

(d) information about the proficiency tests and ring tests in

which the laboratory has participated.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

L 225/32

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Official Journal of the European Communities

22.8.2002

ANNEX Ι

Pesticide/product combinations to be monitored in the specific exercise set out in Article 1 of the Recommenda-
tion

Pesticide residue to be analysed for

2003

Years

2004 (*)

2005 (*)

Acephate

Aldicarb

Azinphos-methyl

Azoxystrobin

Benomyl group

Bromopropylate

Captan

Chlorothalonil

Chlorpyriphos

Chlorpyriphos-methyl

Cypermethrin

Deltamethrin

Diazinon

Dichlofluanid

Dicofol

Dimethoate

Endosulfan

Folpet

Imazalil

Iprodione

Kresoxim-methyl

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Malathion

Maneb group

Mecarbam

Methamidophos

Metalaxyl

Methidathion

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

22.8.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 225/33

Pesticide residue to be analysed for

2003

Years

2004 (*)

2005 (*)

Methiocarb

Methomyl

Omethoate

Oxydemeton-methyl

Parathion

Permethrin

Phorate

Pirimiphos-methyl

Procymidone

Propyzamide

Thiabendazole

Tolylfluanid

Triazophos

Vinclozolin

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a) pears, bananas, beans (fresh or frozen), potatoes, carrots, oranges/mandarines, peaches/nectarins, spinach (fresh or frozen).
(b) cauliflower, peppers, wheat, aubergines, rice, grapes, cucumber, peas (fresh/frozen, without pod).
(c) apples, tomatoes,
(*) Indicative for 2004 and 2005, subject to programmes which will be recommended for these years.

leek, orange juice, head cabbage, rye/oats.

lettuce, strawberries,

ANNEX II

Number of samples of each product to be taken by each Member State,

in the coordinated Community

monitoring programme for 2003

B

DK

D

EL

E

F

IRL

I

L

NL

A

P

FIN

S

UK

Total

12

12

93

12

45

66

12

65

12

17

12

12

12

12

66

460