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Pesticide Monitoring Program in Mexico

Silvia Canseco Gonzalez, Animal and Plan Health Office, Agriculture Department Mexico The main objective of the Animal and Plant Health Law of the Mexican Republic is to protect animals and plants from pests and diseases. In addition, the law provides the Secretary of Agriculture and Water Resources the facilities to exercise control over the quality of biological and chemical products applied to animals and vegetables as well as to prevent agrarian activities from originating health risks and environmental contamination. This is carried out through the Plant and Animal Health General Direction, responsible for pesticide registration and control, This office takes care of setting tolerances and checking the quality of the formulations available for the growers. The system to control these chemical compounds in Mexico involves separate aspects; the law requires the registration of import, manufacturing, development, and distribution firms. It maybe considered that great advances have been made in the regulation of these firms in the past 18 months. Equally, the registration of compounds sold in Mexico has kept a very acceptable level, as well as the registration of technicians who supervise the quality control in factories and who are responsible for usage recommendations in their own firms. Pesticides, companies, and consultants are registered in the main offices in Mexico City; number registration of sales and distribution is done through the Agriculture Department officer in the Mexican states. In 1974, the construction of a network of laboratories was begun to bring about quality control of product formulas as well as to determine residue levels in affected crops. There are now 12 regional laboratories for pesticide analysis and one central reference laboratory for pesticide residues analysis of animal products. Five of these laboratories are able to conduct residue analysis as well, and the Vegetables Growers Union has built a laboratory for the same purpose. Some colleges and universities in Mexico are making efforts to develop analytical methods, but the task is centered most often upon the pesticide industry and in the official laboratories. In both cases, it may be said that more important than the development of new methods is the implementation and verification of those methods developed by benchmarks or published in the literature. Some efforts have been made with respect to pesticide residue analysis with the objective of modifying some methods to make them more economical, but no conclusive results have yet been reached. This year, the program involves the analysis of 2,200 samples of vegetal origin, specifically of the following crops: chili peppers, green peppers, tomatoes, tomitillos, and strawberries. This is done using the FDA Pesticide Analytical Manual procedures already discussed and those modifications applicable to the country conditions. The selection of the products to use against a pest problem should be made on the basis of the manual of Authorized Pesticides, which SAPAF edits and reviews each year and which lists those compounds that have complied with the requirements specified by the law. Also it includes information about pests, crops, and dosages that may be applied, safe intervals of application, and the residue limit that should be observed. Lets use PAM procedures because the United States is the main consumer of our agriculture exports, thus we check both the domestic and foreign consumption. However, during past years, economic factors have had the following negative effects on our work: lack of proper maintenance of the equipment no new equipment loss of training technicians and inability to contract replacement personnel. This situation is aggravated by the problems of inflation and daily devaluation of the Mexican currency. This is reflected in the number of analyses that can be carried out, reducing it a considerable degree each year and thereby reducing the established capacity that the Secretarial de Agricultural y Proteciopecuaria y Forestal (SAPAF) once had. During 1987, residue analyses were carried out on 970 samples of fresh agricultural produce. Since the tasks of analysis is very specialized and practiced by a small number of technicians, there is no interest in the reagent and solvent industry in Mexico in maintaining a quality product that satisfies the requirements of these analyses. For these reasons, the reagents and solvents are imported. In addition, much of the equipment and glassware is imported, so the prices for these materials have increased. Considering that the main problem with pesticides is misuse, we are implementing the use of a prescription for selling pesticides. This means that in order to purchase a pesticide, the grower must

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present a paper written by a registered professional indicating the crop, the pest, product, and dosage. As I mentioned before, residue analysis is carried out with the U.S. methodology whenever possible, but we dont eliminate the possibility of using those recommended methods from international agencies such as Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues. We recognize the importance of fruit and vegetable trade between Mexico and the United States, and we are very concerned about it. To this end, we have instituted and analytical quality-control program between FDA and my office to assure that the pesticide residues in commodities involved in trade are below tolerance levels. Nowadays the Agriculture Department has the tendency to implement pest control programs that are part of an integrated pest management program that that takes advantage of pests natural enemies; and includes extending the use of old technologies such as biological control. Last year we had spectacular results on the soybean crop, reducing the use of pesticides by more than 50 percent. Another technique is the use of sterile insects in the campaign against the Medfly and the cattle screwworm. Other pest control methods have been developed that originated from the EDB ban: hydrothermic treatment for the elimination of larvae in mangoes for export and the use of low temperatures as an agricultural sanitation treatment in citrus exportation. The biological pesticides Bacillus thuringiensis is widely used for forestry pests in ecologically pro-

tected areas; we are conducting investigations on the use of fungi against soil pests. Despite all these efforts, it is recognized that pesticide use will continue to be the extensively used means of pest control. Actions are being directed toward making adequate use of pesticides in which different government agencies, as well as the pesticide industry and professional organizations, participate by means of campaigns, qualification courses, refresher workshops, and symposia, all oriented toward keeping pesticides a useful tool without excessive risk. Strong efforts are being made to get economic support from international agencies in order to let us continue this task. Having the opportunity to participate in events such as this undertaking and others in which new technologies are expounded and revised, or at least having access to the information generated, can help Mexico maintain an acceptable level of technological development in this area. Visitation by specialists who might, upon observing conditions in the nation, be in a position to offer a more practical and acceptable assessment, would be equally useful. Nevertheless, the main problem is, and according to our perspective will continue to be, the lack of economic resources that permit us to incorporate innovations in day-to-day work. It is necessary to identify sources of financing to continue the program and the technical assessment that allow research into other analytical possibilities,