BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsforordningen)

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1213/2008 established a first coordinated multiannual Community control programme, covering the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. That programme has continued under consecutive regulations, of which the latest one is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/731. 

(2) 30 to 40 products constitute the major components of people’s diet in the Union. Since pesticide uses show significant changes over a period of 3 years, pesticides need to be monitored in those products over a series of three-year cycles to allow the assessment of both consumer exposure and application of Union legislation. 

(3) The European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) submitted a scientific report on the design assessment of the pesticide monitoring programme. It concluded that a maximum residue level exceedance rate above 1% could be estimated with a margin of error of 0,75% by selecting 683 sample units for a minimum of 32 different products. Collection of those samples should be apportioned among Member States in relation to population figures, with a minimum of 12 samples per product and per year.

(4) Analytical results from the previous Union official control programmes have been taken into account to ensure that the range of pesticides covered by the control programme is representative of the pesticides used. 

(5) In line with the SANTE Working document on the summing up of LOQs in case of complex residue definitions, where the residue definition of a pesticide includes other active substances, metabolites and/or breakdown or reaction products, those compounds should be reported separately as far as they are measured individually. 

(6) In order to ensure a harmonised submission of information by Member States concerning the results of pesticide residues analysis, enabling the Authority to have comparable results, Member States should use agreed guidelines, such as the Standard Sample Description version 2 and the Chemical Monitoring Reporting Guideline. 

(7) For the sampling procedures, Commission Directive 2002/63/EC6 which incorporates the sampling methods and procedures recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, should apply. 

(8) It is necessary to assess whether maximum residue levels for food for infants and young children provided for in Article 4 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127, Article 3 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1288 and Article 7 of Commission Directive 2006/125/EC9 are complied with, taking into account only the residue definitions set out in Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. 

(9) As regards single residue methods, since not all Member States may have the required validated analytical methods, Member States should be allowed to meet their obligations of analysis by transmitting samples to official laboratories already having the required validated methods. 

(10) In order to allow the Authority sufficient time to evaluate and compile the reported results, Member States should submit by 31 August of each year the information concerning the previous calendar year. 

(11) In order to avoid any confusion due to an overlap between consecutive multiannual programmes, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/731 should be repealed. It should, however, continue to apply to samples tested in 2024. 

(12) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,