Europe – The European Union has published the results of its study to determine which pesticides are present and in what quantities in fruits, vegetables and cereals from European agriculture products.

This study by the European Food Safety Agency has assessed the presence of pesticides in agricultural products, and their maximum residual limit (MRL).

From this study we came to know that 45% of products from European agriculture (cereals, fruits and vegetables combined) show traces of pesticides. However, 96% of these products do not exceed the permissible limit. The study was conducted in 27 countries of the European Union on 74,305 samples from over 350 different products, including 72 varieties of cereals.

A quarter of these goods has several molecules from the plant protection products, while in 1999 there were only 15% of molecules of pesticides were detected in the food products. In France, more than half of the samples show traces of pesticides and 8.54% of them exceeded the MRL. It is a somewhat surprising result for the higher consumer of pesticides in Europe with 100,000 tonnes used only for agriculture.

Since 1995, pesticides used by European countries were monitored thoroughly. Already in 2007, a report published by the Directorate General de la concurrence, the consumption and the repression of the frauds, had alerted presence of pesticides in half of the fruit and vegetables.

At that time, 7.6% of these products exceeded the MRL, especially tomatoes, peppers, leeks, lettuce, strawberries, grapes and mandarins. While it is impossible to prevent any residue of pesticides in agricultural products, MRLs are established as the best practices to be taken into account especially when the use of pesticides exceeds certain limit. It is thus due only to the farmers who comply with the recommended amount.

The study by the European Union has also targeted the products and goods from organic farming. Although this type of crop banishes all pesticides, 1.24% of fruits, vegetables and cereals studied exceed the MRL.

From a human point of view, the consumption of foods with residues of chemicals has effects on the mucous membranes, respiratory and digestive systems, and other body functions. A bond was even established between the use of pesticides by the farmers and the development of the Parkinson’s disease.

The Grenelle of Environment has planned to halve the use of pesticides by EU farmers by 2017.

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