Recommendation of the EFTA Surveillance Authority No 97/03/COL of 19 June 2003 concerning a coordinated monitoring programme for 2003 to ensure compliance with maximum levels of pesticide residues in and on cereals and certain other products of plant origin
Date: 2003-06-19
Institutions: EFTA Surveillance Authority
Subjects: cereals, crop production, pesticide residue, plant health control, plant health legislation

11.9.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 227/45

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA

EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY

RECOMMENDATION OF THE EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY

No 97/03/COL

of 19 June 2003

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

THE EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic
Area (EEA), and in particular Article 109 and Protocol 1
thereof,

EFTA Surveillance Authority, a recommendation setting
out a coordinated monitoring programme to ensure
compliance for maximum levels of pesticide residues set
out in Annex II to the said directives. Article 1(1) of
Commission Regulation (EC) No 645/2000 (3) provides
that
such recommendations may cover periods of
between one and five years.

Having regard to the Agreement between the EFTA States on
the establishment of a Surveillance Authority and a Court of
Justice, and in particular Article 5(2)(b) and Protocol 1 thereof,

(2)

Having regard to the Act referred to at point 38 in Chapter XII
of Annex II to the EEA Agreement (Council Directive 86/362/
EEC of 24 July 1986 on the fixing of maximum levels for pesti-
cide residues in and on cereals (1)), as last amended and adapted
to the EEA Agreement by Protocol 1 thereto, and in particular
Article 7(2)(b) thereof,

Having regard to the Act referred to at point 54 in Chapter XII
of Annex II to the EEA Agreement (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 (2)), as last amended and adapted
to the EEA Agreement by Protocol 1 thereto, and in particular
Article 4(2)(b) thereof,

After consultation of the EFTA Foodstuffs Committee assisting
the EFTA Surveillance Authority,

(3)

Whereas:

(1)

Article 7(2)(b) of Directive 86/362/EEC and Article
4(2)(b) of Directive 90/642/EEC require
the EFTA
Surveillance Authority, by 31 December each year, to
submit to the EFTA Foodstuffs Committee assisting the

The EFTA Surveillance Authority should progressively
work towards a system which would permit the estima-
tion of actual dietary exposure to pesticides, 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
Directive 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
the
generally recognised that major components of
European diet are constituted by some 20 to 30 food
products. In view of the resources available at national
level for pesticide residue monitoring, the EFTA States
are only able to analyse samples of eight products each
year within a coordinated monitoring programme. Pesti-
cide 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.

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,
folpet, malathion, omethoate,
oxydemeton-methyl, phorate, procymidone, propyza-
bromopropylate,
mide,

azoxystrobine,

dimethoate,

aldicarb,

(1) OJ L 221, 7.8.1986, p. 37.
(2) OJ L 350, 14.12.1990, p. 71.

(3) OJ L 78, 29.3.2000, p. 7.

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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.

Authority in the standard format. The further develop-
ment of such a standard format
is most effectively
undertaken by the development of guidelines,

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

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
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
the
459 samples
is
European Economic Area. For the EFTA States it
recommended, on the basis of population and consumer
numbers, to take 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). These draft guidelines should be
implemented as far as possible by the analytical labora-
tories of
the EFTA 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 require the EFTA States
to specify the criteria applied in drawing up their
national
inspection programmes when sending to the
EFTA Surveillance Authority information on their imple-
mentation 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 accreditation 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 indi-
cated.

Information on the results of monitoring programmes is
particularly appropriate for treatment, storage and trans-
mission by electronic/informatics methods. Formats have
been developed for supply of data in diskette form from
the EC Member States to the Commission. The EFTA
States could use the same format and should therefore
be able to send their reports to the EFTA Surveillance

(1) Codex Alimentarius, Pesticide residues in foodstuffs, Rome 1994,

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

(2) Doc. No 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 THE EFTA STATES TO:

1. Sample and analyse for the product/pesticide residue combi-
nations set out
in the Annex to this Recommendation,
taking a minimum of 12 samples of each product and
reflecting as appropriate, national, EEA and third country
share of the EFTA State's market. In addition, to specifically
monitor for the combination nitrofen/wheat, with the same
sampling frequency.

For pesticides possibly posing an acute risk, such as OP-
esters, endosulfan and N-methylcarbamates, 10 samples of
should be
the products grapes, pepper and cucumber
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
individually.

2. Report the results for the part of the specific exercise allo-
cated for 2003 in the Annex to this Recommendation by
31 August 2004, indicating the analytical methods used and
in accordance with the quality
reporting levels achieved,
control procedures set out in the Quality Control Procedures
for Pesticide Residue Analysis.

The report should be produced in a format, including the
electronic format, as set out in Annex II and III to the
Recommendation of
the EFTA Surveillance Authority
concerning a coordinated monitoring programme for the
year 1999 (4).

3. Send to the EFTA Surveillance Authority and to the EFTA
States, by 31 August 2003, 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 2002 monitoring
exercise to ensure, at least by check sampling, compliance
with maximum pesticide residue levels including:

(a) the results of

their national programmes concerning
pesticides listed in Annex II to Directive 86/362/EEC
in relation to
and Annex II to Directive 90/642/EEC,
harmonised levels and, where these have not yet been
fixed at EEA level, in relation to the national levels in
force;

(4) OJ L 74, 23.3.2000, Annex II (Quality Control Procedures) p. 25

and Annex III (Working Document/Reporting format) p. 38.

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

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

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

which the laboratory has participated.

4. Send to the EFTA Surveillance Authority, by 30 September
2003, their intended national programme for monitoring
maximum pesticide residue levels fixed by Directives 90/
642/EEC and 86/362/EEC for the year 2004.

This Recommendation is addressed to Iceland, Liechtenstein
and Norway.

Done at Brussels, 19 June 2003.

For the EFTA Surveillance Authority

Niels FENGER

Director

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Official Journal of the European Union

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ANNEX

Pesticide/product combinations to be monitored in the specific exercise set out

in point 1 of

the

Recommendation

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

Methiocarb

Methomyl

Omethoate

Oxydemeton-methyl

Parathion

(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)

(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)

(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)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Pesticide residue to be analysed for

Permethrin

Phorate

Pirimiphos-methyl

Procymidone

Propyzamide

Thiabendazole

Tolylfluanid

Triazophos

Vinclozolin

2003

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

(b)

Years

2004 (*)

2005 (*)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(c)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

(a)

Indicative for 2004 and 2005, subject to programmes which will be recommended for these years.

(*)
(a) Pears, bananas, beans (fresh or frozen), potatoes, carrots, oranges/mandarins, peaches/nectarines, spinach (fresh or frozen).
(b) Cauliflower, peppers, wheat, aubergines, rice, grapes, cucumber, peas (fresh/frozen, without pod).
(c) Apples, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, leek, orange juice, head cabbage, rye/oats.