MRL Resources and Policy Engagement in Support of U.S. Agricultural Producers

Foreign regulatory requirements vary greatly and can be complicated and difficult to access. Under the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is developing resources to help U.S. exporters understand and meet these requirements, which will help them access new export market opportunities. Many trade barriers are related to regulatory requirements, including maximum residue limits (MRLs), which are non-harmful amounts of residues of inputs, such as pesticides, that may remain on or in a food product when a pesticide is used according to label directions. MRLs apply to different combinations of pesticides and foods, or crops, and they may vary between different markets. Under ASCE, USDA is tackling this issue using many methods, described below. 

MRL Database Access

All U.S.-based entities can access the latest MRLs for all countries and crops through the FoodChainID Regulatory Limits database for free. Users based in the United States can sign up for basic access to the database, funded through support from the ASCE initiative. Additional information is available at https://fas.usda.gov/maximum-residue-limits-mrl-database.

International Regulatory Engagement

Through the ASCE initiative, USDA has increased regulatory collaboration with trading partners, with a focus on issues such as pesticide residue requirements and pesticide and biopesticide registration. This collaboration encourages the adoption of science-based policies based on international standards, such as those adopted by Codex Alimentarius, and supports additional MRLs in export markets and globally. These regulations underpin the trade of fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops, supporting U.S. producers and global food security. 

Increasing Data Generation for Codex and Harmonized MRL Setting 

To increase the number of Codex MRLs that benefit U.S. specialty crops, this project will generate data and submit applications for additional international MRLs through Codex Alimentarius. Codex MRLs are crucial to facilitate trade, but often major commodity crops are prioritized over fruit and vegetable crops, so this project will help fill the gap. Many countries rely on Codex when setting MRLs, and these international standards benefit U.S. specialty crop growers and shippers, as these standards are a crucial reference point for trade. U.S. specialty crop producer groups will determine the crop-chemical combinations for Codex submission.

USDA’s partner for this project, the Minor Use Foundation, will coordinate with the Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4 Project). USDA and land-grant universities established the IR-4 Project in 1963 to conduct research to ensure that specialty crop farmers have access to crop protection products to effectively and safely manage pests.

Import MRL Guidelines Implementation in APEC

USDA is increasing regulatory collaboration in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) community and aims to establish more import tolerances for U.S. specialty crops in key markets in APEC. This work directly addresses the need of U.S. exporters to fill gaps for specific crop-chemical combinations missing in some important markets within APEC, particularly in North Asia. The import MRL guidelines developed through the APEC forum aid in the alignment of import MRL processes across the APEC region. This increases consumer confidence in the MRL setting process and achieves greater regulatory convergence of MRLs, promoting greater alignment with international standards while reducing the regulatory burden for individual countries and facilitating trade. USDA’s partner on these projects is Ag Aligned Global in coordination with Bryant Christie Inc. (BCI) and Minor Crop Farmers Alliance. 

Regional and Bilateral Collaboration 

Bilateral and regional collaboration on MRLs and pesticide regulatory systems helps countries adopt risk-based MRL standards and science-based policies that align with international standards. This ensures farmer access to safe and effective crop protection tools, improves regulatory processes, and facilitates increased agricultural trade opportunities between the United States and other countries. CABI is USDA’s partner for collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in Southeast Asia, as well as in Africa and with African Regional Economic Communities. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture is USDA’s partner in Latin America and the Caribbean. U.S. agricultural producers provide regular input to USDA’s project partners to ensure that the projects are responsive to U.S. exporter needs.  

MRL Quick Reference Sheets

USDA’s MRL Quick Reference Sheets support U.S. producers and shippers of fruit, vegetables, tree nuts, pulses, and other horticultural crops to understand and easily access information about MRLs in the top export markets. USDA will update the quick reference sheets every 6 months since foreign requirements can change regularly. USDA is currently developing these and expects to release them soon this year. 

EU Early Alert Pesticide Review

USDA funds the European Union (EU) Early Alert Pesticide Review, a newsletter that provides detailed information about the status of pesticides in the EU that the United States also approved for use, as well as detailed information about the status of EU MRLs. The EU Early Alert Pesticide Review tracks the status of active substances up for approval or renewal, as well as those no longer approved for use in the EU due to expiration, restriction, or non-renewal of their approval. Importantly for U.S. exporters, it provides valuable information about changes to associated MRLs in the EU, an important export market for many U.S. agricultural products. While restrictive changes to the status of active substances for use in the EU do not directly affect growers in the United States, typically associated MRLs in the EU are subsequently withdrawn or lowered unless an import tolerance exists. FAS’s Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program funds the EU newsletter, which BCI developed, available at https://usda-eu.org/plant-products/eu-early-alert/. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly, please contact plantdivision@usda.gov.