2020 MRL Harmonization Workshop Webinar, May 27-28

California Prune Board is proud to support the California Specialty Crops Council as a member of its board and technical committee for annual workshop

What

Each year the California Specialty Crops Council (CSCC) hosts an MRL Harmonization Workshop in San Francisco, Calif. For 2020, the workshop has taken a consolidated format to better serve the audience through video platform. The new format provides an opportunity for more people to hear from those on the front lines in government and the private sector concerning trade and the continued use of critical pesticides.

The 2020 MRL Harmonization Workshop will be presented as a webinar with interactive seminars that address critically important issues for stakeholders with interests in exporting agricultural products. Growers, packers, shippers, PCAs, registrants, regulators, trade experts, and other stakeholders in international trade are strongly encouraged to attend.

When

The two-day virtual workshop will be held May 27-28, 2020

  • Wednesday, May 27, 2020: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm PDT
  • Thursday, May 28, 2020: 8:30 am – 12:00 noon PDT

Registration

The registration fee will be $200. The fee will be capped on a company basis at $400. Registration can be accessed on the California Specialty Crops Council CSCC website at http://specialtycrops.org/mrlworkshop.html.

Program Details

Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes and will cover topics including international trade trends, global registrations, pesticide residue monitoring, MRL strategies for growers, updates for international residue standards (US, NAFTA, Asia, EU, Codex, global etc.), and inadvertent issues. The webinar will also include panel discussions. In addition to nationally known experts, 4-6 international industry experts will present.

A program booklet will be sent to the attendees prior to the webinar. All presentations will be posted on the CSCC website following the webinar.

2020 Agenda

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
  1. Welcome & Agenda Review (Gary Van Sickle, CA Specialty Crops Council)
  2. EU Pesticide Policy: Challenges and Possible Solutions, Perspective of EU Importers of Nuts and Dried Fruit (Anna Boulova, Secretary General, Frucom, Belgium)
  3. EU Pesticide Policy: Hop Industry Perspective (Reinhold Kugel, Head of Product Safety and Quality Assurance, Barth Haas, Germany)
  4. EU Pesticide Policies: The Trade Perspective (Julie Callahan, Deputy Assistant USTR for Agricultural Affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
  5. EU Concerns for Registrants (Cindy Smith, Agricultural Relations Director, Gowan Company)
  6. Panel Discussion (Heidi Irrig, MRL Manager North America, Syngenta Michelle Sharpe, MRL Strategist, North America, BASF)
  7. Coordination on EU MRL Topics (Katherine Bedard, International Trade Policy Manager, Wine Institute)
  8. Tracking EU MRLs: The EU Early Alert System (Alinne Oliveira, Trade Policy Specialist, Bryant Christie, Inc.)
  9. South Korea MRL Positive List & Enforcement Update (Chris Williams, A/g Director, Trade & Market Access Division, Australian Government Department of Agriculture)
  10. EPA and CCPR Update (Rick Keigwin, Director, OPP, US EPA)
  11. IR-4 International Activities Report (Jerry Baron, Executive Director, IR-4 Project)
  12. Minor Use Foundation, Inc. – An Overview (Dirk Drost, Board Chairman, Minor Use Foundation, Inc.)
  13. FAS Update (Loren LaPointe, AAAS Science Policy Fellow, USDA-FAS)
THURSDAY, MAY 28
  1. S. International Trade Commission MRL Report (Sabina Neumann, Advisor, U.S. International Trade Commission)
  2. Hazard vs Risk – Are Your Tigers in the Cage? (Jane Stewart, Scientist, Environmental & Residue Sciences, BASF)
  3. MRLs-Why We Decided to Care: Perspectives from the Grain Industry (Allison Nepveux, Manager of Trade Policy, U.S. Grains Council)
  4. BCGlobal MRL Database Features and Tips (Kimberly Berry, Director, Regulatory Intelligence, Bryant Christie, Inc.)
  5. Soybean MRL Concerns (Rosalind Leeck, Senior Director of Market Access, U.S. Soybean Export Council)
  6. Laboratory Methods for MRL Determination (Wiley Hall, Director of Research Chemistry, Safe Food Alliance)
  7. The California Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program (Michelle Armstrong, Food Safety Coordinator, CDPR)

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Kiaran Locy
DIRECTOR OF BRAND & INDUSTRY COMMUNICATIONS
CALIFORNIA PRUNE BOARD
O. 916-749-3442 | M. 408-375-2200
CaliforniaPrunes.org | klocy@prunes.local