Reasoned opinion on the modification of the existing MRLs for metconazole in barley and oats

In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the United Kingdom, hereafter referred to as the evaluating Member State (EMS), received an application from BASF SE Crop Protection to modify the existing MRLs for the active substance metconazole in barley and oats. In order to accommodate the intended uses of metconazole, the EMS proposed to raise the existing MRLs from 0.1 mg/kg to 0.3 mg/kg. The EMS drafted an evaluation report in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, which was submitted to the European Commission and forwarded to EFSA. According to EFSA the data are sufficient to derive MRL proposals of 0.4 mg/kg for the proposed uses on barley and oats. Adequate analytical enforcement methods are available to control the residues of metconazole in cereal grains at the validated LOQ of 0.02 mg/kg. Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concludes that with regard to the residue definition established for unprocessed commodities the intended use of metconazole on barley and oats will not result in a consumer exposure exceeding the toxicological reference values and therefore is unlikely to pose a public health concern. The risk assessment however cannot be finalised since the dietary exposure to triazole derivative metabolites (TDMs) and to compounds that might be formed under processing conditions could not be assessed at the moment.