Pesticides

This report provides information on (1) U.S. and Mexican requirements for pesticide registration and tolerances, (2) differences in U.S. and Mexican tolerances for produce exported to the United States, and (3) the methods the United States and Mexico use to ensure safe levels of pesticide residues on produce entering the United States from Mexico. Overall, GAO found that the requirements for registering pesticides and setting tolerances--the maximum level of pesticide residue allowed on foods--are similar in both countries, with one major exception. The Mexican commission that registers pesticides generally gives less intense scrutiny to pesticides that have already been registered in the United States or other developed countries. By contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) always does its own reviews and does not rely on other countries' registrations. Several differences in tolerances exist between the United States and Mexico. Officials from both countries have formed a working group to resolve these differences. While GAO believes that this effort is important, it is concerned that it does not go far enough. New pesticides are constantly being developed that may create differences in tolerance levels between the two countries, but the working group has no plans to address this issue. GAO recommends that EPA work with Mexican officials to resolve all types of pesticide differences. This strategy should also provide a long-term framework for the countries to deal with the constantly changing universe of pesticides. GAO summarized this report in testimony before Congress; see: Pesticides: Differences in U.S. and Mexican Pesticide Standards and Enforcement, by Peter F. Guerrero, Associate Director for Environmental Protection Issues, before the House Committee on Agriculture. GAO/T-RCED-92-62, July 9, 1992 (10 pages).

GAO found that: (1) the United States and Mexico have similar requirements for pesticide registration and tolerance setting, but there are significant differences in tolerances for certain food-use pesticides; (2) both countries require pesticide registration applicants to provide extensive health and environmental information on pesticides proposed for food uses; (3) Mexico subjects Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved pesticides to less scrutiny, but sometimes requests additional pesticide data to account for Mexican climatic conditions; (4) U.S. and Mexican officials have formed a working group to address pesticide tolerance differences and set priorities; (5) the working group is not addressing pesticides for which both countries have set tolerances at different levels for the same commodities; and (6) while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a special monitoring program for imported Mexican produce, Mexico has limited monitoring capabilities and relies primarily on the private sector to monitor pesticide residues.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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