eu mrls for buprofezin chlorothalonil diflubenzuron ethoxysulfuron glufosinate imazalil ioxynil iprodione molinate picoxystrobin and tepraloxydim in november 2018 india raised a concern regarding the lowering of eu mrl for buprofezin to default levels as notified by the european union in g sps n eu 264 on 19 july 2018. india noted that the measure was more trade restrictive than necessary to protect against risks to human health and argued that as per article 5.7 of the sps agreement the european union should have taken into consideration the existing codex mrls as well as the mrls of other members. specifically in relation to grapes the codex mrl for buprofezin was 1 ppm and in the case of rice the limits in the united states china and japan were 1.5 ppm 0.3 ppm and 0.5 ppm respectively. india requested the european union to provide the rationale for deviating from codex standards and for not considering mrls set by other countries. india further observed that the modified measure did not provide an adequate transitional time period for commodities produced in accordance with the existing eu mrl prior to its modification. india noted that in january 2011 the european commission had amended the council directive to include buprofezin as an active substance from 1 february 2012 to 31 january 2021. following which in april 2018 the expiration of the approval for buprofezin had been postponed until 31 january 2023 for use in fruits and vegetables at 0.5 ppm and in cereals including rice at 0.5 ppm. however in july 2018 the european union had proposed default levels for buprofezin. india argued that the eu decision was based on the perceived uncertainty around genotoxic potential relating to the heat treatment of buprofezin and the production of aniline. india underscored that this chemical was normally present in many raw fruits and vegetables. india urged the european union to conduct broad-based stakeholder consultations as several countries including india would face substantial trade impacts due to the proposed measure. india hoped that the european union would conduct a timely and objective science-based risk assessment consistent with its obligations under the sps agreement. colombia raised similar concerns in relation to eu mrls for several pesticides highlighting the importance of this issue for trade in cereals and food products of animal and plant origin including fruits and vegetables. in particular colombia was concerned with the lowering of the mrls for buprofezin to the default level of 0.1 ppm as this substance was key in controlling quarantine pests for bananas which for colombia and other countries was done through the use of tree bag wrappings filled with buprofezin. this approach avoided damage to the fruit and allowed lower exposure to the product when compared with insecticide spray. colombia observed that there was no competitive substitute for the substance which would make it more difficult to control pests for fruits and negatively affect colombias exports of banana to the european unions market. colombia further underscored the potential social impact due to the importance of employment in the regions where the cro was grown. colombia highlighted the commitment of its banana producers to implementing international quality standards linked with good agricultural practices such as globalgap rainforest alliance and fair trade. colombia noted that the eu measure had been based on the possible production of aniline a sub-product which was carcinogenic and could be present in foods treated with buprofezin when subject to high temperatures during processing. however colombia highlighted that the international agency for research on cancer iarc had included aniline in grou 3 as non-carcinogenic for humans. in addition the us environmental protection agency and the european unions scientific committee on occupational exposure limit values scoel had not given conclusive evidence regarding the carcinogenicity of aniline. colombia requested the european union to use a risk assessment approach in its decisions a