The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed raising the existing maximum residue level (MRL) for the herbicide ethofumesate in carrots from 0.03 mg/kg to 0.1 mg/kg, concluding that the long-term dietary intake from the intended use poses no risk to consumer health. The proposal, published in a reasoned opinion on 16 July 2026, follows an application submitted by DLR Rheinpfalz to the German competent authority on 23 September 2024.
The application was declared admissible on 14 July 2025, and a public consultation ran from 18 August to 8 September 2025, during which no additional data or comments were submitted. The evaluating member state, Germany, submitted its evaluation report to the European Commission and EFSA on 27 February 2026. On 26 March 2026, the Commission mandated EFSA to assess the application.
EFSA's assessment found that sufficient residue trials support the MRL proposal of 0.1 mg/kg for carrots, based on a northern European use pattern. Validated analytical methods using LC-MS/MS are available for enforcement at the limit of quantification of 0.03 mg/kg. The residue definition includes the sum of ethofumesate, 2-keto-ethofumesate, open-ring-2-keto-ethofumesate and its conjugate, expressed as ethofumesate.
The consumer risk assessment, using EFSA's PRIMo model revision 3.1, showed that the highest estimated long-term dietary intake accounted for only 0.1% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 1 mg/kg body weight per day, with carrots contributing a maximum of 0.004% of the ADI. No acute reference dose was deemed necessary. EFSA concluded that the proposed use is unlikely to pose a risk to consumers' health.
The opinion also notes that the metabolism of ethofumesate in primary and rotational crops has been sufficiently addressed, and that processing studies are not required as the contribution of carrots to the total theoretical maximum daily intake is below 10% of the ADI. Livestock dietary burdens exceeded the trigger value, but the contribution from carrots was insignificant, so no further investigation into residues in animal products was needed.
EU carrot producers in northern Europe stand to benefit from the higher MRL, which accommodates the intended herbicide use and may reduce crop losses. EU consumers face negligible additional dietary risk, as the estimated intake remains well below the ADI. EU regulatory bodies, including the European Commission, will now consider EFSA's proposal for amendment of the MRL in EU legislation. Competing pesticide manufacturers may see a marginal impact as the MRL change supports the continued use of ethofumesate over alternatives.