Potato Grower

WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 71 Superior LIGHT BLOCKING AND BREATHABILITY Superior www.foxbag.com RECYCLABLE. REUSABLE. RIGHT NOW. Stop potato greening and eliminate the #1 cause of product waste with the Fox Combo Ultra Shield bag. 4096-23FoxPackaging16h.indd 1 4096-23FoxPackaging16h.indd 1 11/29/21 4:39 PM 11/29/21 4:39 PM in key export markets in its Global Trade Regulations Database at (www. potatoesusa.com/industry-resources). Users will need to make a one-time request of a password to set up their account to access the information. Once in the global database, navigate to "Global Review Database" at the top of the page. Then, under "Select Countries and Categories," choose the market of interest and "Chemical Residue Levels (MRLs)." This will generate a report on the U.S., foreign country, and international Codex potato MRLs. If growers are not sure what active ingredient is associated with the trade name for a pesticide (i.e., glyphosate for Roundup), Potatoes USA provides a comparison chart that links trade names with chemical names on the same website. Which markets are active on MRL issues? While any country can decide to begin establishing MRLs and testing for residues, below is a summary of key markets for U.S. potato exports where pesticide MRLs play an important role. • Canada maintains its own national MRL list. Many of its MRLs are similar to the U.S. MRLs. When no MRL exists in Canada, a 0.1 ppm default standard applies. Canada is in the process of canceling the use of several pesticides that U.S. potato growers use over the next several years. Growers and shippers will want to track Canadian MRLs and determine if the withdrawal of use of these products results in the loss of Canadian MRLs. • Traditionally, Mexico has unofficially deferred to U.S. MRLs. This has allowed trade to flow without issue. In the last year, however, Mexico has begun discussing eliminating the use and MRLs for several substances, including glyphosate. The U.S. government is engaging with Mexico on its pesticide policies to ensure they are not trade- disruptive. • Japan has a large MRL list that includes many potato MRLs. The U.S. potato industry worked hard leading up to the introduction of Japan's new system in 2006 to ensure potato MRLs were established. With the growing opportunities for U.S. potato exports in international markets, it is important for growers, shippers and processors to be aware of and comply with foreign regulatory requirements. Still, it is important for shippers to check Japanese potato MRLs versus U.S. MRLs, as there can be differences. Japan has a 0.01 ppm default tolerance if no MRL exists. A pesticide residue violation in Japan is a significant event involving loss of the shipment and additional future testing not only for the shipper, but possibly for the entire U.S. potato industry. • South Korea introduced a national MRL list in 2009 and will remove all current temporary MRLs on Dec. 31, 2021. Korea has a 0.01 ppm default tolerance. The U.S. potato industry has worked for several years to establish as many potato MRLs as possible in Korea. Exporters should confirm Korean MRLs against U.S. MRLs, as there can be differences. Korea actively tests for pesticide residues and will take immediate action against the shipper if a violation occurs. U.S. potato violations have occurred in Korea. • Taiwan has maintained its own MRL list since 1999. Taiwan does not use a default tolerance. Taiwan has many potato MRLs, and they should be compared to U.S. MRLs prior to exporting, as differences do exist. Taiwan actively tests for pesticide residues, and violations result in rejections and increased testing for the shipper, and often for the entire industry. U.S. agriculture has frequent challenges with Taiwan MRLs. Potato residue violations have

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