France’s proposal for Guidelines about setting Maximum Residue Limits in honey

Background: Honey is produced in an environment potentially polluted by different sources of contamination, so it is necessary to set Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). These MRLs should be fixed as low as possible in relation to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). The guidance provided in this Draft Working Document gives advice on: • when and for what kind of active substance a MRL has to be set in honey • how to propose a temporary MRL for a given active substance • how to design, prepare and realise supervised residue trials when necessary Results: The proposed approach is based on using the available data before an active substance or product is registered, and is divided into several successive steps, represented in a global decision-making scheme. The MRL will be set depending on the results obtained at each different step. Besides, the applicants will have the choice between different methods to set a provisional MRL in preregistration. Conclusion: The initial proposal was a protocol on field residue trials proposed by Germany. The approach used in this guidance document proposes also other possibilities for fixing MRL without conducting systematically field trials. This proposition will be discussed at European level.