New MRLs for Flupyradifurone and Potassium Phosphonate: What Changes in 2026

Key data

Operators in the agri-food sector working with flupyradifurone or potassium phosphonate have an immediate obligation: to verify that their products comply with the corrected MRL values established by Regulation (EU) 2026/751, in force from 31 March 2026. This regulation does not introduce new pesticides or new policies: it corrects technical errors in the values previously published in Regulation (EC) 396/2005. But the consequences of ignoring it are the same as any MRL non-compliance: product withdrawal and sanctions.

What does this regulation establish?

Regulation (EU) 2026/751 is a correction regulation. Its objective is to amend technical errors detected in Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, which is the European reference framework for maximum pesticide residue limits in food and feed.

Specifically, it adjusts the permitted values of two active substances in certain agricultural products:

• Flupyradifurone: a systemic insecticide from the butenolide group, used in crops such as fruits, vegetables and cereals.
• Potassium phosphonate: a fungicide commonly used in horticultural crops for the control of fungal diseases.

As it is a European regulation, it is directly applicable in all Member States without the need for transposition into Spanish national legislation or that of any other EU country. This means that the corrected values are enforceable from the date of entry into force, 31 March 2026, regardless of any additional publication in the Official Gazette or other national bulletins.

Economic and operational impact

Although it is a technical correction, the operational impact is real and can be significant for companies working with these substances. The main vectors of impact are three:

• Risk of non-compliance in products already manufactured or in stock: If current batches were produced or analysed using the erroneous values from Regulation (EC) 396/2005 as reference, they may not comply with the corrected values now in force.
• Re-analysis costs: Control laboratories must update their analysis parameters. Companies with ongoing analysis contracts or recent results may need to repeat tests.
• Risk of market withdrawal: Non-compliance with MRLs can lead to product withdrawal from the market, with the economic and reputational cost that this entails.

Health authorities will also need to update their inspection and control protocols, which may result in greater scrutiny of products containing flupyradifurone or potassium phosphonate in the short term.

Who does it affect?

• Agricultural producers who use flupyradifurone or potassium phosphonate in their crops and whose products are intended for human or animal consumption.
• Food and processing industry that processes or markets agricultural products where these substances may be present as residues.
• Importers and exporters of affected agri-food products, especially in intra-community operations or with third countries that require compliance with Regulation (EC) 396/2005.
• Analysis and residue control laboratories that must update their methods and reference values for flupyradifurone and potassium phosphonate.
• Health and food control authorities (such as AESAN in Spain) that must adapt their inspection protocols.
• Regulatory advisors and quality managers in agri-food companies that manage regulatory compliance for pesticide residues.

Practical example

A Spanish horticultural company that exports citrus fruits to other EU countries uses potassium phosphonate as a fungicide in its post-harvest treatments. Its most recent batches were analysed by an external laboratory in February 2026, using the values from Regulation (EC) 396/2005 in force at that time as reference.

With the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2026/751 on 31 March 2026, the reference values for potassium phosphonate have been corrected. If batches in transit or in storage at the European customer's facility are inspected by the health authorities of the destination country, the analysis will be carried out against the new corrected values, not the previous ones.

In this scenario, the company must: (1) contact its laboratory to verify whether the previous results remain valid under the new values, and (2) if in doubt, request a new analysis before the product reaches the control points at destination. The cost of a re-analysis is significantly lower than that of a market withdrawal or a fine.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if flupyradifurone or potassium phosphonate are present in your chain: Review what pesticides are used in the crops or products you produce, process or market. If either of these two is present, this regulation directly affects you.
2. Consult the full text of Regulation (EU) 2026/751: Access the official text on EUR-Lex to verify which specific products are affected by the correction and what the new applicable MRL values are.
3. Notify your analysis laboratory: Inform the laboratories you work with so they can update their reference parameters for flupyradifurone and potassium phosphonate. Verify whether recent analyses remain valid under the corrected values.
4. Review batches in production, stock or transit: Assess whether any current batch could be at risk of non-compliance with the new values. Act preventively before the product reaches control points or the end consumer.
5. Update internal quality control protocols: Incorporate the new MRL values into your company's residue control procedures to avoid future incidents.
6. Communicate to customers and distributors if there is risk: If you detect that any batch may not comply with the corrected values, proactively communicate this to your customers and distributors to manage the risk of withdrawal in an orderly manner.