Don?t Forget those Japanese MRLs

March 28, 2007 — 

It has been reported that a recent shipment of U.S. lettuce was detained for having insecticide residue levels exceeding the new Japanese Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) enacted in 2006. As a result, the Japanese authorities have reportedly imposed stricter testing protocols for shipments of lettuce arriving from all U.S. producers.

This should serve as a reminder to all of us to ensure that we review the MRL guidelines developed by the AASV Pharmaceutical Issues Committee and adopted by the AASV Board of Directors which can be found on the AASV website. In addition, the National Pork Board continues to maintain a database outlining withdrawal times designed to comply with the Japanese MRL requirements. The information in this database is provided by the pharmaceutical manufacturers and is available on the Pork Board website.

A thorough discussion of the issue can be viewed online at http://www.exportpork.com/. This website contains a video of an expert panel discussing the MRL issue and its potential impact on U.S. pork exports. The video was sponsored by a number of pharmaceutical manufacturers, AASV and the Pork Board.

It is incumbent on us to insure that our producers are provided with accurate withdrawal information to comply with U.S. regulations as well as foreign requirements for product destined for the export market. Pork producers currently export approximately 15% of the pork produced in the U.S. Loss of that market opportunity would have a significant impact on the U.S. swine industry.