FDA REVOKES FUNGICIDE RESIDUAL LIMITS IN TEA |茶葉允用農藥"氟派瑞"引民怨 食藥署今廢止

Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration announced that it will begin allowing the fungicide fluopyram in tea, sparking a public outcry. The FDA has now announced in a press conference that it has decided to revoke the residual limits it had set, in effect re-banning fluopyram, as the risks were not sufficiently communicated to the public beforehand. However, the abolition will need to be subject to public review for 60 days, so the fungicide will be formally banned again only in late May. This is the first time in Taiwan that a pesticide has been banned again after a residue limit was already announced for it. In order to assuage food safety fears, the Food and Drug Administration said that it will revoke the residual limit for the fungicide fluopyram in tea that it had just announced earlier this month, in effect banning the pesticide again. The renewed ban will go into effect in late May if no objections are raised. This is the first time a pesticide has been re-banned in Taiwan after a residual limit was announced. ==LIN CHIN-FU Dep. Director-General, FDA== Public opinion is important to us. To strengthen communication and reduce misunderstandings, we have announced the revoking of the residual limit for fluopyram in tea. The FDA said that it was revoking its decision because both itself and the Council of Agriculture had failed in communicating the risks of the pesticide to the public. Tea farmers said that Taiwan's pesticide regulations should be consistent with international practices in order to facilitate exports. They also said that better field management can prevent pest damage, so fluopyram was not necessary. ==LIN CHENG-FENG Tea Farmer, Nantou== If it's something the EU allows, then I'm fine with using it because it's internationally accepted. But if the EU doesn't allow it, why would I use it? ==LI MING-CHANG Tea Farmer, Chiayi== If you wait for the crops to be affected before you do prevention, naturally that will be ineffective. So in the summer, when it's hot and humid, you'll have to start your prevention efforts. The FDA had also raised the residual limit of the pesticide Dimethomorph in lettuce from 6ppm to 10ppm. The FDA said that this change was in reference to CODEX and Japanese standards, as well as consideration of overall pesticide levels in food, so the decision will stand. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 這個月中旬，衛福部食藥署率先國際、在茶葉新增開放使用農藥「氟派瑞」，引發各界反彈，食藥署下午召開記者會表示，新規定在公告前，食藥署與防檢局都沒有跟民眾做好風險溝通，為考量民心不安，因此決定刪除這項規定，但是預告期有60天，如果外界無疑慮，5月底才會正式生效，而這也創下國內在農藥殘留容許量公告後，又再刪除的首例。 為了消弭外界對於食安的疑慮，食藥署今天正式預告，刪除今年3月15號公告增訂的農藥氟派瑞、用於茶葉的殘留容許量，如果預告評論期60天內、各界沒有疑慮，將在5月底生效，而這也創下國內在農藥殘留容許量公告後，又再刪除的首例。 ==食藥署副署長 林金富== 為重視民意 加強溝通 減少不必要的誤解 所以我們已經將原先增訂 農藥氟派瑞於茶類一項 殘留標準的部分 已經予以預告刪除 食藥署表示，在農藥殘留容許量審查過程中，農委會負責風險評估，食藥署則是風險管理，但是與民眾的風險溝通、兩個單位都沒有做好，因此決定刪除農藥氟派瑞用於茶葉的規定，對此有茶農認為，我國農藥殘留標準、應與國際接軌，才不會影響茶葉出口，而且只要做好田間管理、就可有效防治病蟲害，不是非得用氟派瑞不可。 ==南投茶農 林政豐== 只要歐盟能同意的東西 我們遵照國際 我會用 但是歐盟現在都不允許了 我幹嘛還要用 ==嘉義茶農 李明璋== 發病你才要來做 這個預防動作的話 那當然效果就不大啦 那是要在夏季高溫潮濕的時候 你就要去注意這個地方 去防治了 此外對於農藥達滅芬在萵苣殘留容許量，從原本6ppm、調高為10ppm，食藥署強調，這是參考國際食品法典委員會CDDEX及日本標準，並估算國人食品攝入農藥總量在安全範圍內，因此維持原案、不再做修正。 記者賴淑敏 蔣龍祥 台北報導