Northwest Horticultural Council

Chemical and Food Safety Alerts

Canada Plans to Revoke Mancozeb Pear Maximum Residue Level (MRL)

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has notified the NHC that Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), is moving to revoke Canada’s mancozeb pear tolerance of 7 ppm and apply a default of 0.1 ppm. The U.S. MRL is 0.6 ppm and the Codex MRL is 5 ppm. We have been told that PMRA’s decision is considered final and likely to be enforced in June or July of this year.

The NHC has requested urgent assistance from FAS to pursue – at a minimum – delayed enforcement of Canada’s proposed 0.1 ppm tolerance for mancozeb on pears and provide a grace period of three years for growers to adjust and comply with the new MRL. In a joint letter sent to FAS this week, the NHC and the California Pear Advisory Board emphasized the importance of the product to pear growers, the limited number of cost-effective alternatives, and the need for harmonization with the U.S. and Codex MRLs.

Growers and packers of pears are encouraged to investigate using alternatives to mancozeb to avoid violations in Canada.

PMRA is not revoking the apple tolerance for mancozeb. It plans to lower the MRL from 7 ppm to 5 ppm, which is harmonized with the Codex and EU tolerance for apples. The U.S. mancozeb MRL for apples is 0.6 ppm.

Posted: 4/7/2026