The Meeting was pleased to note that the FAO Manual on the Submission and Evaluation of Pesticide Residues Data for the Estimation of Maximum Residue Levels in Food and Feed had been published.
The Manual gives the historical background to the operation of the JMPR and describes the object of the work, the procedures involved in the selection of compounds, and the data requirements for estimating maximum residue levels and supervised field trials median residue (STMR) levels.
The Manual incorporates all relevant information on the principles which are currently used by the JMPR to estimate maximum residue levels and STMR levels and clarifies and consolidates the procedures followed by the FAO Panel in the evaluation of the experimental results and information provided. In this way it improves the transparency of the work of the JMPR and facilitates the acceptance of Codex MRLs by national governments and their use within the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
The principles in the Manual may also provide useful assistance to member countries in evaluating residue data for the registration of pesticides and in developing their national evaluation systems.
Chapter headings in the Manual comprise:
· Selection of compounds for evaluation
· Data and information required for JMPR evaluations
· Preparation of data submissions for the consideration of the FAO Panel of JMPR
· The JMPR practice in estimating maximum residues levels and proposing maximum residue limits
· Estimation of residue levels for calculation of dietary intake of pesticide residues
· Use of JMPR Recommendations by regulatory authorities.
Appendices provide information on abbreviations, definitions, sampling and the composition of animal feeds, as well as guidance on procedures and formats for the submissions of data.
The Meeting wishes to encourage manufacturers and member countries to follow, as far as possible, the guidance given in the Manual in preparing future submissions for the JMPR.
Because guidelines by their nature are subject to revision from time to time in order to accommodate new scientific developments and standards, users of the FAO Manual are urged to keep abreast of these changes by reading future JMPR reports where such updates are recorded.
