Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

United Kingdom Exit from European Union – January 1, 2021

Current Situation: Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) has announced plans to establish its own maximum residue limit (MRL) regulatory regime following the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU) effective January 1, 2021.  Until the new MRL regime, including specific MRLs, is established, tree fruit exporters shipping to Great Britain should continue to adhere to European Union (EU) MRLs.  (Any changes to EU MRL’s made after January 1, 2021, will not apply to Great Britain).  While still a part of the UK, Northern Ireland will continue to follow EU regulations even after Great Britain establishes its own MRL regime.  NHC will be updating MRL and country information as specific information becomes available.

Background: The UK’s 11-month transition period from the EU ended on December 31, 2020.  Any new decisions taken under the EU regime after January 1, 2021, will not apply in Great Britain.  Food exports destined for England, Scotland, or Wales must comply with Great Britain’s pesticide and veterinary drug MRL and contaminant limit regulations.  However, Northern Ireland’s status will remain the same.  Under the terms of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement and Northern Ireland Protocol, the EU regulatory regime continues to apply in Northern Ireland.

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact David Epstein, vice president for scientific affairs, Northwest Horticultural Council at 509-453-3193.

Updated: 1/7/2021

Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

Thailand is Banning Paraquat and Chlorpyrifos Residues on Imported Food  June 1, 2021

Current Situation: June 1, 2021 the MRL for both Chlorpyrifos and Paraquat dichloride will be the level of detection, 0.01ppm.

Background:

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact David Epstein, vice president for scientific affairs, Northwest Horticultural Council at 509-453-3193.

Updated: 11/3/2020

Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

European Union (EU) MRLs for Imidacloprid
and Zeta-Cypermethrin – December 1, 2020

Current Situation: The EU has revoked use of Imidacloprid and Zeta-Cypermethrin (Mustang Maxx) for use in EU Countries.  MRLs for these two active ingredients remain at current levels, with anticipated reductions to default values of 0.05ppm possible, as the substance is no longer approved for use in the EU.

• Imidacloprid:
  • apples and pears – 0.5 ppm
  • cherries – 0.5ppm
• Zeta-Cypermethrin:
  • apples and pears – 1ppm
  • cherries 2ppm

Background: The registrants of these two products were given time extensions for registration by the European Commission last year that they did not meet. Registrants are no longer going to pursue registration of these products.  As of December 2, 2020, these products were banned from use within the EU.

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact David Epstein, vice president for scientific affairs, Northwest Horticultural Council at 509-453-3193.

Updated 1/27/2020

Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

India Delays Implementation of GM-Free Certification Rule for Apples until March 1, 2021

Current Situation: India has informed the U.S. Government that it has changed implementation of its order requiring a GM- (genetically modified) free certificate accompanying all apple imports into India from an arrive-by date of March 1, 2021 to a ship by date of March 1, 2021. Certification will be required of all apple shipments departing the U.S. after March 1, 2021.

The NHC continues working with the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove apples from India’s requirement for GM-free certification and avoid a market closure resulting from the FSSAI order.

The original order may be found here.

Documentation of the December 2020 delay of the rule to March 1, 2021 may be found here.

Documentation of the India’s current FSSAI clarification may be found here.

Background:

On August 21, 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order requiring shipments of apples (and other food products) to include a GM-free certificate issued by a “Competent National Authority,” effective shipment arrival on or after January 1, 2021.

It is unclear why India has proposed this order and what concerns are being addressed by it.  FSSAI does not address any safety-related issues nor do they offer any scientific justification for requiring non-GM certification.

No apple shipped to India from the Pacific Northwest is genetically modified.  More than 90 percent of U.S. apples exported to India are of the Red Delicious variety.  There are no genetically modified Red Delicious apples in existence.  USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved two GM apple events available under the trade name of Arctic® Golden and Arctic® Granny.  These apples belong to one company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, that maintains strict control of its limited production.  The apples are in processed form (not whole apples) and are not exported.

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact the Northwest Horticultural Council vice president for scientific affairs, David Epstein, or Fred Scarlett, vice president for export programs at 509-453-3193.

Updated: 2/8/2021

Northwest Horticultural Council

Current Open Staff Positions

• No Current Open Staff Positions

Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

Thailand Implements New Rules to Test Imported Fresh Produce For Pesticide Residues

Current Situation: The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued new guidelines to test imported fresh produce for pesticide residues.  The measures will be implemented on August 1, 2020. The Thai FDA categorizes imported produce based on their perceived risk levels into three classifications: Very High Risk; High Risk; and Low Risk.

The Thai FDA categorizes cherries as “High-Risk*”; there is a focus on residues of fenpropathrin (Danitol 2.4EC) due to prior non-compliance findings.  If the shipment is found to be noncompliant for pesticide residues, the Thai FDA will place the exporter’s name on a “Very High Risk” list.  You can access the “List of Imported Vegetables and Fruits that Failed to Meet the Quality Standards Testing Fiscal Year 2020” on the Thai FDA’s website to identify exporters listed in the “Very High Risk” here.   To learn more about Thailand’s revised pesticide residue monitoring procedures see the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) GAIN report here.

• Exporters whose names are on the “Very High Risk” list will have cherry shipments held and tested by the Thai FDA, using a default value of 0.01 ppm for fenpropathrin, paraquat, chlorpyrifos, and glyphosate

Apples and pears are classified as Low Risk.

Background:

• On July 21, 2020, the Thai FDA announced that cherry shipments no longer require a Certificate of Analyses (COA) for 134 pesticides. Shipments from exporters on the “Very High Risk” list will be detained (at port, or in importer’s warehouse with the importer’s signed letter of intent) and tested for only the problematic pesticides determined to be “High Risk” table (chlorpyrifos, fenpropathrin, glyphosate, and paraquat) by the Thai FDA.
• A Thai FDA officer at the port of entry will conduct random samples from shipments in the “High-Risk” group (sweet cherry) to be tested at a government laboratory. The Thai FDA will be responsible for the lab testing expense.
• If the importer does not want the shipment to be tested in Thailand, the importer must present a COA for Thai-determined “High Risk” pesticides (chlorpyrifos, fenpropathrin, glyphosate, and paraquat) for every shipment. The COA must be issued by a government laboratory of the exporting country, a government-assigned lab, or a private laboratory complying with ISO/IEC 17025 can be used (see footnote).
• A non-compliant sample will place an exporter on the “Very High Risk” list.
• If three consecutive shipments are compliant with the regulation, then the product from the specific exporter will be removed from the close monitoring list. The exporter, or importer, must notify the Thai FDA that they wish to be delisted before testing of the three consecutive shipments to qualify. To learn more, see the USDA FAS Gain report here.
• Shipments received from an exporter listed as “Very High Risk,” face greater scrutiny for testing of their product, g., fenpropathrin residues:
  • The importers are responsible for the lab testing expense.
  • The shipment will be detained while waiting for the test results.
  • The Thai FDA will consider whether the shipment must be kept at the port or can be moved to the importers’ warehouse with the importer’s signed letter of intent.
  • If the result is negative, the shipment will be released. Otherwise, the shipment will not be allowed to enter the country.
  • Exporters on the “Very High Risk” list can keep exporting fresh produce to Thailand by supplying a COA for each shipment. This method does not delist the exporter’s name.
• “High-Risk” fresh fruits are cherries, oranges, strawberry, grapes, and dragon fruit.

Contact: For more information contact David Epstein, Vice President for Scientific Affairs, or Fred Scarlett, Vice President for Export Programs at (509) 453-3193.

Updated: 7/22/2020

Northwest Horticultural Council

Country Alerts

Canada Consumer Prepackaged Produce – New Labeling Requirements for Fruit

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) made a final decision regarding the specifics of lot code options required on consumer prepackaged produce to comply with Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).  The compliance date is January 15, 2020.  (Note: CFIA has granted an extension until January 15, 2021, for the industry to use up existing packaging material.)

The following outlines the decision of CFIA:

• Lot Code:  The term “lot code” is not specifically defined in the Safe Food for Canadians Act nor in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). In general terms, “lot code” when used in Part 5 – Traceability of the SFCR refers to a code that can be used to identify a lot that was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, graded, packaged or labeled, under the same conditions. A lot code can be numeric, alphabetic or alphanumeric. Examples of lot code include: production date, best before date, establishment number, or SFCR license number. In addition, for fresh fruits or vegetables, the lot code may also be the harvest date, grower identification number, growing region or any other code that may be used for traceability purposes.
• Growing Region can be province/state or another sub-national division within a country, or any other commonly accepted region of production as determined by industry and/or government.
• On January 15, 2020, consumer prepackaged food will need a label which includes the following information:
  • The common name
  • The name and principal place of business of the person by or for whom the food was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, packaged or labeled
  • The lot code (lot code guidance is available in the SFCR: Glossary of key terms)
• The current guidance document, Regulatory requirements: Traceability will be revised to include examples of Growing Region although the list will not be exhaustive.

For additional information about CFIA consumer prepackaging requirements for produce, please see the Northwest Horticultural Council Export Manual here.

Contact: For more information contact the Northwest Horticultural Council at (509) 453-3193.

Updated: 3/24/2020

Northwest Horticultural Council

U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

On September 30, 2018, Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America reached an agreement to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  The new agreement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), will enter into effect only after legislative approval in each country and at some future, yet to be determined, implementation date.

The Northwest Horticultural Council supports ratification by Congress of the USMCA. The trade agreement achieves the NHC’s principle negotiating objectives and provides a solid foundation from which Pacific Northwest tree fruit growers, packers, and shippers will continue their positive and overwhelmingly beneficial trading relationship with customers in these critically important countries.  

The text of the agreement may be found here.  A fact sheet describing the USMCA as it pertains to agriculture may be found here.