Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides serve as a reference value to not only monitor and enforce that a product was used correctly at the domestic level, but also affects commodities in trade.  Due to issue that can often occur in trade, there is a considerable need to have one global pesticide standard for commodities in trade.   While Codex MRLs (CXLs) would appear to be an ideal trade standard (regarding pesticide residue limits on commodities) countries are increasingly developing their own sovereign regulations, therefore bringing the value of CXLs into question.  This paper will discuss not only which countries use CXLs but also how CXLs are being integrated into domestic regulatory standards.  While a recent survey noted that there are at least 30 countries that fully defer to CXLs, generally because they do not have their own national MRL regulation, there are another 23 countries that have some type of deferral path or decision tree which includes Codex MRLs.  The current situation is very fluid as countries develop their own regulations that may or may not incorporate Codex standards.

Codex maximum residue limits: Who uses these standards?

248th National Meeting (2014)

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