The "Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues" (JMPR) is an expert ad hoc body administered jointly by FAO and WHO. The JMPR evaluates pesticide residue and toxicology data for estimation of maximum residue levels and Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs). It is composed of two groups, the FAO Panel on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment which estimates maximum residue levels and the WHO Core Assessment Group (formerly WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues) which estimates ADIs and identifies risks to organisms in the environment.
The JMPR has evaluated pesticides over the last 30 years with the aim of estimating the maximum residue levels in food and feed which are likely to result from legally permitted uses of pesticides. These estimates are the basis for establishing international Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in food and feed commodities moving in international trade.
Both the FAO Panel and the WHO Core Assessment Groups have applied consistent scientific principles and data requirements in their respective areas over the years, although elements of these have gradually been revised to higher standards, as has also occurred at the national level. The formats of the evaluations (monographs) have also been gradually revised.
The aims of the FAO Manual are to:
· clarify, update and consolidate the procedures used by the FAO Panel for the evaluation of experimental data and related information;· improve transparency of the work of the FAO Panel
· define and provide guidance on the type, amount, quality and format of data submissions required for the estimation of maximum residue levels on which the Codex MRLs are based;
· facilitate the acceptance of Codex MRLs by the governments and their use within the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures;
· serve as a source of information and instruction for all those directly involved in the activities of the FAO Panel of the JMPR, including data submitters and FAO Panel data reviewers; and
· assist member countries in evaluating residue data for the registration of pesticides and in developing their national evaluation systems.
The present FAO Manual incorporates all relevant information and principles which are currently used by the JMPR to estimate maximum residue levels and supervised trials median residue levels. Because guidelines by their very nature are subject to revision with time in order to accommodate new scientific developments and standards, users of these guidelines are advised to keep abreast of these changes by reading future JMPR reports where such updates are recorded. The FAO Manual will be updated in the future in the light of experience gained and further developments in residue data evaluation.
The FAO Manual is referred to in the text as "the Manual".
