ProteCitrus, former PIC List, operates under the legal framework of the Normative Instruction no. 20 of September 20, 2001, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), which contemplates general rules and regulations on the Integrated Fruit Production (PIF) system and of the subsequent Normative Instructions nos. 6 and 42, respectively enacted on September 10, 2004 and July 7, 2008, which establish the specific technical standards for the Integrated Citrus Production that was broadly discussed with producers, technicians, consultants, researchers, and the industry, with the purpose of meeting the demands and requirements of internal and external markets for processed and fresh fruits.

National and State Committees were organized afterwards, such as the PIC Agrochemical Committee, initially run by the state of São Paulo through the Alta Mogiana Hub of the São Paulo Agency of Agribusiness Technology (APTA).

In December of 2019, the former PIC List became ProteCitrus. With the reformulation, the new model shifted from being a mere list of pesticide recommendations to gaining the higher status of a voluntary program for the industry, whose aim is protecting citriculture (see more information).