The 28th Meeting of the Expert Working Group on the Harmonization of Maximum Residue Limits (EWG-MRL) of Pesticides among ASEAN Countries was held virtually on January 16-17, 2024, hosted by Brunei Darussalam via Zoom Cloud Meeting. The meeting was participated by representatives from the DA-Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), serving as the National Focal Point of the Philippines, and representatives from the DA-BAFS Standards Development Division (SDD). Throughout the two-day session, ASEAN Member States (AMS) deliberated on proposed and identified additional pesticide MRL for harmonization, reviewed and updated the pesticide MRL setting framework and working procedures, and reported progress on the adoption of the ASEAN MRL as a national MRL. Additionally, the EWG-MRL engaged in an open meeting dialogue with international partners such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CropLife Asia, and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) concerning technical capacity-building activities on import MRL.
The EWG-MRL will continue the discussions and updates on the harmonization of pesticide MRLs among ASEAN countries in the next 29th Meeting of the EWG-MRL, which will be hosted by Cambodia in 2025. ###