Public consultation on the Guidance Document for determining the magnitude of pesticide residues in honey and setting Maximum Residue Levels in honey

This Guidance Document provides advice or explanations on:

1. Deriving the residue definitions in honey
2. Circumstances leading to possible residues in honey
3. Guidance on the required residue data
4. MRL setting in honey

The Guidance Document includes a decision-making scheme to assess the potential for residues to arise from target crops under specific use patterns. It also addresses particular scenarios, such as herbicide applications on honey-relevant in-field weeds and considers potential residues from non-target plants and rotational crops. An accompanying spreadsheet is provided, including the Non-Target Plants (NTP) calculator referenced in the Guidance Document. In addition, the Guidance Document provides advice on the selection of the critical Good Agricultural Practice (cGAP) leading to the highest potential residues in honey. 

The draft revised Guidance Document for determining the magnitude of pesticide residues in honey and setting Maximum Residue Levels in honey is currently undergoing a first commenting round by the Working Party of the National Coordinators of the Test Guidelines Programme (WNT) and the Working Party of Pesticides (WPP), and is open to public comments at the same time. Interested parties are invited to submit comments to/contact their National Coordinators at least a week before 28 July 2026.  

• Draft Guidance document for determining the magnitude of pesticide residues in honey and setting Maximum Residue Levels in honey