Pulses are nutritious, provide versatility, and with their drought tolerance and nitrogen fixation capabilities, are a climate friendly choice for producers and consumers. Pulses will provide an important solution to global problems like food insecurity and providing nutrition to feed the rising population of the world. Trading impediments like missing or non-harmonized Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are an expensive barrier to trade economically and socially. In 2000-2014, the Pulse Industry supported NAFTA harmonization. Equal access to crop protection and harmonization of MRLs were priorities. While there are still concerns over MRL harmonization, the work of NAFTA shows the value of harmonization to the pulse industry with increased trading volumes and equal access to pesticides. In 2010, the Pulse Industry came face to face with the impacts of non-harmonized MRLs when a sample of lentils from North America exceeded the MRL standard for the EU. The imbalance threatened to disrupt the most lucrative market for all North American pulse growers. With that as a wakeup call, the world pulse industry joined together to improve harmonization. The development of better measuring tools and the use of non-tariff trade barriers makes missing or imbalanced MRLs, even more expensive. Specialty crops are much more vulnerable to these disruptions and the specialty crop industry along with our registrants need to continue to work toward harmonized MRLs, expeditious ways to establish standards, use of Codex MRLs in absence of national standards and improve understanding of MRLs for consumers and governments.

Costs of MRL Imbalance are Huge Socially and Economically

ACS Fall 2021

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