The Pesticide Residues Committee Report on Strawberries in 2004

Introduction

This paper is a synopsis of two pesticide residues monitoring reports for the year 2004 issued by the Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) in December 2004 and June 2005. For comparison and a benchmark for change I have included comparable figures for the earlier 2001 exercise. The paper also forms a useful supplement to my previous one: ‘Commercial Strawberry Growing and the Use of Pesticides’ published in May 2004 (extract on this web).

The January - June 2004 Report (Report 1) details detected residues in retail samples of strawberries obtained between Jan and June 2004 and Report 2 those residues detected in samples obtained between July and November 2004.

Pdf versions of these and other PRC reports can be obtained on-line by going to the Government’s web-site www.pesticides.gov.uk .

Assumptions

The UK strawberry industry quotes 80% of their crop coming from polytunnels. I have assumed that the samples analysed in these reports reflects those figures and that therefore 80% or more of those samples come from polytunnels. Foreign imports can also pretty safely be assumed to have been grown in polytunnels.

For the period January to June 2004 the high proportion of imported fruit sampled (73% imported as against 27% home grown) reflects early season market shares and has presumably been incorporated in PRC’s methodologies.

 

Pesticide levels and Maximum Residue Levels

Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) are legal limits for the maximum amount of residue that will be left on a food when a pesticide is applied according to instructions based on good agricultural practice. The MRL is a maximum legal level based on what would be expected if the pesticide was used correctly; it is not a safety limit. MRLs are intended primarily as a check that good agricultural practice is being followed and to assist international trade in produce treated with pesticides. Sample analysis relies on comparison with the MRLs for each approved pesticide set by the Government’s Pesticide Safety Directorate.

In 2001 there were 3 UK and 1 Israeli MRL exceedance in 4 samples. There were also 2 UK non-approved pesticide uses.

In 2004, Jan - June there were 4 MRL exceedances in 2 samples, 1 sample from Spain with 3 exceedances and one from Morocco.with one exceedance.

In 2004, July - Nov there were no MRL exceedances in any samples.


Friends of Earth and MRLs

Peer reviewed and published research by Friends of the Earth shows that between 10 and 220 young children per day could be exposed to residue levels in excess of internationally accepted safety levels (acute reference dose), just from eating a single apple or pear! This occurred even when the pesticide residue was below the legal limit. The research was conducted by Friends of the Earth in conjunction with two leading experts on pesticide exposure, Professor Andrew Watterson of Stirling University and Dr Vyvyan Howard of Liverpool University. For full details go to: www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/pesticidesandtoddlers.pdf

The principal behind this research can equally be applied to strawberries, or indeed any other food, making MRL a rather contentious concept. This is in addition to the unknown and largely un-researched ‘cocktail effect’ of several different residues in one sample.

 

Organic Production

Currently this sector represents about 3% of total berry production. All three separate reports referred to in my paper include analysis of organic samples as follows:

2001: 3 samples tested (1.6% total); no residues detected

2004, Jan - Jun: 1 sample tested ( 2% of total); 4 residues detected

(Spanish-grown. Asda say this was due to a mix-up at the packhouse)

2004, July – Nov: 2 samples tested (4% of total); no residues detected

 

Report 1: Second Quarter 2004

67% of all the samples had detectable pesticide residues. Compare these results with other commodities in the report, for instance, beef, milk and coffee where no residues were detected in any of the samples. On the other hand, apples and pears both had 80% and tomatoes 40%.

Those wishing to limit pesticides intake would do well to buy imported strawberries in the early season. Only 21% of UK samples had no detectable residues compared with 40% for imported EC fruit and 36% for other imports. 42% of UK samples had two or more different detectable substances compared with 43% for imported fruit.

Only one sample was from the USA. This is counter to the growers’ myth that American strawberries will flood in if British growers don’t use polytunnels. It appears that European supplies can keep us in strawberries all year.

Report 2: Fourth Quarter Report 2004

In common with Report 1 strawberries feature high in the list of detected residues amongst the commodities analysed. At 80% strawberries almost top the list for most pesticide-enriched fruit. Apples tie at 80% and only soft citrus fruit at 96% beats the berry. Asparagus and carrots record 0% for detected residues; lettuce comes in at 22%. The 80% figure is a large rise compared with the January to June figure of 67% and again conflicts with growers’ mythology that they spray less. When will they realise we don’t want to eat a cocktail of dangerous chemicals?

For this period July to November, only 21% of samples from both UK and imported fruit record no detectable residues. 50% of UK strawberries have two or more different detectable residues compared with 37% for EC fruit. The message might be to choose imported fruit.

Almost 60% of the samples come from the UK reflecting their seasonal market share.

Comparison with PRC survey 2001

Those interested in reducing pesticide intake would have gone for the imported fruit. UK had only 22% without residues compared with 55% for imported EC berries and 33% from other imports.

The figures for samples with residues of 2 or more pesticides was also revealing with UK at 52% and EU and other imports at 24%.

Comments

Since 2001 British berry growers have carried a strong campaign to consumers about less spraying, and the detrimental environmental impact of choosing imported fruit. It is clear from these figures that far from improving their act, they have become worse in some areas and stayed still in others. A staggering 80% of UK berries still have pesticide residues in them (Summer/Autumn 2004), the same figure as in 2001.

Although most people have picked up on Government advice to wash fruit, because of the possible damage to the fruit and the water storing capacity of its skin, it seems few people wash their strawberries. The regular doses of contact fungicides and routine application of other pesticides and the hand-picked nature of the fruit by workers with extremely primitive - and sometimes downright disgusting toilet facilities on-site – should alert consumers to washing their berries very carefully.

I wrote in the conclusions of my May 2004 paper:

‘There exists genuine consumer desire for pesticide-free fruit. This desire is not being met at present either by growers, government legislation or by action from most of the large supermarkets. .. Many European countries (e.g. Germany, Sweden, Holland) have tighter pesticide controls than the UK. Here, the ideologies of the old Ministry of Ag and Fish which put the farmers first, the corporations next and the consumers last, continue to dominate. DEFRA and the Food Safety Agency are welcome signs of change. In the USA pesticide-free fruit is a legal entitlement. This doesn’t necessarily mean organic growing; just better agricultural practice so residues don’t get into the food chain.

Today I have no reason to retract a single word I said.

Copyright © Chris Wooldridge, 2005

Return Home Page