The 49th Session of Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) opened in Beijing on April 24,2017. Vice Minister Yu Xinrong,FAO Representative to China, DPRK and Mongolia Vincent Martin and Secretary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)Tom Heilandt attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Chairman of CCPR Dr. Qiao Xiongwu chaired the Session.

Vice Minister Yu Xinrong briefed on China’s progress in pesticide management last year and its MRLs-setting scheme in the 13th Five-Year Plan period. He recognized CCPR's remarkable work in protecting consumer health, building open, safe and fair international pesticide residue standards and food trade mechanism, and facilitating the standards-setting and pesticide governance in its member countries.

Yu said that the Chinese Government highly appreciates and sincerely thanks for the great endeavors of CAC and CCPR. China, as the country taking over CCPR presidency, will continue to support and participate in the work of CAC, and actively engage in developing a uniformly-defined standard system for international food safety.

The 49th Session has altogether 13 agenda items, including reviewing more than 500 draft MRLs for Bentazon and other 31 pesticides in food and feed, revising the analysis methods on pesticide residues and the classification of food and animal feed, establishing Codex priority lists of pesticides, and improving IESTI models, among others.

Several penal discussions will also be held during the Session, including bilateral and multi-lateral consultations as ell as working group meetings. Over 300 delegates attended the Session, representing 54 member countries, 1 member organization (the EU) and 13 international organizations.