Modification and setting of maximum residue levels for mefentrifluconazole in various crops

In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the applicant BASF Agro BV Arnhem submitted a request to the competent national authority in Austria to set and modify the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the active substance mefentrifluconazole in various products of plant and animal origin. The data submitted in support of the request were found to be sufficient to derive MRL proposals for pome fruits, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, potatoes, sweet corns, maize, sunflower seeds, rapeseeds, sugar beet roots, swine liver, bovine kidney and ruminant milk. Adequate analytical methods for enforcement are available to control the residues of mefentrifluconazole in plant and animal matrices at the validated limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.01 mg/kg. A consumer risk assessment was performed for mefentrifluconazole. The short-term and the long-term intake of parent mefentrifluconazole resulting from the intended uses is unlikely to present a risk to consumer health. EFSA also performed an indicative risk assessment for the following four metabolites of mefentrifluconazole, which are called triazole derivative metabolites (TDMs): triazole alanine (TA), triazole lactic acid (TLA), triazole acetic acid (TAA) and 1,2,4-triazole (1,2,4-T). These metabolites are common metabolites for a number of triazole fungicides. For the TDM risk assessment, EFSA took into account not only data from the intended uses of mefentrifluconazole but also the information available from various triazole pesticides previously assessed. Overall, the estimated exposure for TDMs did not exceed the toxicological reference values, noting that the consumer exposure assessments for the TDMs are affected by uncertainties related to the data gaps identified in the EU peer review of confirmatory data for TDMs.