Meat and edible meat offal (HS code(s): 02); Dairy produce; Birds' eggs; Natural honey; Edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included (HS code(s): 04); Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers (HS code(s): 07); Edible fruit and nuts; Peel of citrus fruit or melons (HS code(s): 08); Coffee, tea, maté and spices (HS code(s): 09); Cereals (HS code(s): 10); Products of the milling industry; Malt; Starches; Inulin; Wheat gluten (HS code(s): 11); Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; Miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; Industrial or medicinal plants; Straw and fodder (HS code(s): 12); Lac; Gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts (HS code(s): 13); Vegetable plaiting materials; Vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included (HS code(s): 14); Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; Prepared edible fats; Animal or vegetable waxes (HS code(s): 15); Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or of insects (HS code(s): 16); Sugars and sugar confectionery (HS code(s): 17); Cocoa and cocoa preparations (HS code(s): 18); Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; Pastrycooks' products (HS code(s): 19); Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants (HS code(s): 20); Miscellaneous edible preparations (HS code(s): 21); Beverages, spirits and vinegar (HS code(s): 22); Residues and waste from the food industries; Prepared animal fodder (HS code(s): 23)

Public Health Protection Notice (Food) (Application of Amendments to the Annex to European Union Provisions) (Regulation 396/2005 – Maximum Residue Levels of Pesticides) (Amendment), 5786–2025. Language(s): Hebrew. Number of pages: 3

Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC (hereinafter – Regulation 396/2005) was adopted in Israel under the Economic Arrangements Law (Legislative Amendments for the Implementation of the Economic Policy for the 2021 and 2022 Budget Years), 5782–2021, by means of an indirect amendment to the Public Health Protection (Food) Law, 5776 – 2015 (hereinafter – the Law / the Food Law), and appears in Item 4 of Annex II A to the Law. This Regulation was applied in Israel from 1 January 2023. The Regulation was not applied in its entirety. The exclusions from the adoption of Regulation 396/2005 appear in Column A of Item 4 of Annex II A, in addition to the exclusions set out in Section 3A(a1) through (a5) of the Law. These exclusions contain fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, raw meat, raw milk, honey and fresh eggs in their shells.

On 17 August 2025, the Public Health Protection Notice (Food) (Application of Amendments to the Annex to European Union Provisions) (Regulation 396/2005 – Maximum Residue Levels of Pesticides), 5785–2025, was published in Official Gazette (Reshumot), signed by the Director of the National Food Service at the Ministry of Health. The Notice included six new amendments that had been made in the European Union to Regulation 396/2005 up to and around the date of publication of the Notice, and referenced 21 amendments that had previously been published in an order bearing the signature of the Minister of Health. The updated consolidated text that was adopted and published on the Food Service website following the publication of that Notice is the text in force in European legislation as of 12 May 2025.

It is now proposed to apply in Israel the amendments made in the European Union to Regulation 396/2005, without any modifications, conditions, exclusions or extensions, by incorporating them into the text of Regulation 396/2005 as currently adopted. The principal amendments concern changes to the maximum permitted residue levels of pesticides. It is further clarified that the exclusions appearing in Column A of Item 4 of Annex II A shall continue to apply with respect to the amendments proposed to be applied in Israel. The changes included in this proposed amendment combine the following EU Regulations amending various Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, after Item 27:

·        Item 28 - Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1212 of 24 June 2025, amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for acetamiprid in or on certain products. Key MRL updates:

1.    Approved MRL changes: The requested amendments to the maximum residue levels were approved for the following products: plums, linseed, poppy seed, mustard seed, camelina seed (Gold of Pleasure), honey and other apiculture products.

2.    Soybeans: A maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.01 mg/kg was established for soybeans. This decision was intended to create consistency with the new Codex Alimentarius standard adopted in November 2024, following consumer safety approval by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

·        Item 29 - Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1305 of 2 July 2025 amending Annexes II, III and IV to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for amidosulfuron, azoxystrobin, hexythiazox, isoxaben, picloram, propamocarb, sodium silver thiosulfate and tefluthrin in or on certain products. Amendments and MRL determinations:

1.    Azoxystrobin: Import tolerances were established for melon and watermelon, based on uses in Brazil.

2.    Hexythiazox: Import tolerances were established for blueberries and raspberries, based on uses in the United States.

3.    Picloram: New maximum residue levels were established for fat and liver of swine, bovine, sheep, goats, horses, and "other livestock", and for honey and apiculture products. A new definition of residues for enforcement purposes in products of plant origin and honey was established: picloram, free and conjugated, expressed as "picloram".

4.    Propamocarb: A new maximum residue level was established for small radish leaves and radishes, which shall also apply to garden rocket/arugula, based on a consumer safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority.

5.    Isoxaben: A new maximum residue level was established for dried beans and dried peas, identical to that established for beans (without pods), based on extrapolation from existing residue trials.

6.    Tefluthrin: A new maximum residue level was established for horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip, salsify and parsley root, identical to that established for carrots, based on extrapolation from existing residue trials.

7.    Amidosulfuron: Permanent maximum residue levels were established for barley, oats, rye and wheat. Footnotes referring to the unavailability of analytical methods in dry products were removed, as the relevant data requirements had been fulfilled. 

8.   Sodium silver thiosulfate: The substance was included in Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Annex IV includes substances for which no specific MRL is required, since the conditions of use (indoor use on non-edible crops) are not expected to result in residues that pose a risk to consumers.