The 56th session of the Codex Committee on Pesticides Residues (CCPR) has opened in the city of Santiago, Chile, where it is being hosted by China and co-hosted by Chile. Delegates were welcomed by CCPR Chairperson, Weili Shan, who expressed his great pleasure at being able to co-host CCPR – a first for China. “Our two countries are separated by oceans and mountains; however, we will come together because we are committed to global food safety,” he said.

The session was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, Ignacia Fernández, and the Chief Agronomist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Pan Wenbo. While the countries might be geographically wide apart, the ministers both spoke of unity and cooperation for a common cause. Fernández detailed Chile’s deep commitment to the work of Codex, and its leadership in particular on the CCPR work on substances of low concern to public health, while Pan underlined China’s aim of “the control of pesticide residues and the quality and safety of farm produce … eliminating pesticides with high toxicity and high residues”.

Turning to the work ahead of the Committee this week, Fernández said “Let me underscore that scientific cooperation and international dialogue are key to the negotiations that will be carried out here in Santiago. They will make it possible for us to find solutions that will balance human health, productivity, sustainability and trade, for the benefit of consumers, producers and rural communities.” Pan echoed the sense of dialogue for a unified outcome: “The safety of agro products and food not only bears upon public health and safety but also generates profound implications on global economic landscape and social stability. Countries and regions may vary at the level of economic development, in production and food safety, but they share the same goals: that is to improve food safety and to protect consumers health. Countries also feel strongly the need to deepen multilateral cooperation: fair trade in agricultural products and food requires everyone to strengthen cooperation with other countries.”

In his speech, the Codex Alimentarius Commission Chairperson, Allan Azegele, also spoke of the profound and wide-reaching impacts of CCPR work. “The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues has long stood as one of the pillars of the Codex system,” he said. “The decisions made in this room resonate far beyond our deliberations, they reach farmers in their fields, regulators in their offices, traders in global markets, and ultimately, consumers at their dining tables.” He also acknowledged and expressed his respect for “the sheer complexity” of CCPR work.

Codex Alimentarius Secretary, Sarah Cahill, also referenced the importance of this Committee’s work, noting that “pesticide residues consistently top the list of food safety-related specific trade concerns raised in the WTO SPS Committee.” Thus, “this underscores the importance of your work and the need for continued efforts to develop, adopt and implement Codex maximum residue limits (MRL)s,” she told the meeting. She also remarked on the significance and impact of co-hosting committees, which “enhances accessibility and contributes to broader participation in Codex meetings across regions”.

On behalf of FAO, Maya Takagaki, continued the call for dialogue. “I want to encourage you all to take advantage of this important space for building dialogue and cooperation to continue strengthening the coordination between plant health and food safety authorities in each of our Member Countries,” she said. Giovanni Escalante, WHO Representative to Chile, also called for even wider participation in the Committee’s meetings, including “the active participation of consumers and civil society - in the decision-making processes and the processes for adoption of systems. This Committee has a technical responsibility but also an ethical one because behind every MRL, every technical standard, there are millions of lives that depend on the rigour and coherence and the political will of our work.”

CCPR will address a variety of issues this week, including MRLs for pesticides in food and feed, for milk and milk fat and for okra, and guidelines for monitoring the stability and purity of reference materials and related stock solutions of pesticides during prolonged storage. Delegates will also continue to discuss the management of unsupported compounds without public health concerns and the coordination of work between CCPR and the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food.

Read more

CCPR56 webpage

Photo © WHO