Shocked with pesticide residues on fruit in Europe

Analysis conducted by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN) shows that there has been a 53 per cent increase in fruit products contaminated with pesticide residues over the past nine years.

Meanwhile, the European Commission says that farmers are using less and less pesticides.

PAN campaigner Salomé Roynel said: “The risk of pesticide contamination from eating fruit has increased significantly. "Consumers are now in a 'bad situation' when it comes to eating fresh fruit, much of which is contaminated with toxic pesticide residues, which can have serious health effects."

The study was conducted between 2011 and 2019 - the year when European governments started banning many pesticides. However, instead of decreasing the fact that pesticides actually increased during that time frame.

In 2019, one in three fruit samples was contaminated with bacteria, of which half of the random samples were strawberries, pears and peaches. One-third of apples, the most grown and consumed fruit in Europe, contain toxic pesticides with pesticide residues.

Although vegetables are thought to be less susceptible to pests and diseases, the analysis still shows an increase in contamination by almost a fifth, at 19%. In which the most contaminated vegetables were celery with 54% of the samples contaminated and celeriac tubers with 45%. In addition, nearly a third of the most popular kale samples contained traces of pesticides.

The countries that grow the most contaminated fruits and vegetables on the continent are Belgium with 34% of samples contaminated and Ireland with 26%. While just over a fifth of fruits and vegetables in France, Germany and Italy were found to have traces of pesticides.

An increase in synthetic chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables was also detected, increasing the risk to consumers. These “chemical cocktails” are known to have many times worse health effects, the consequences of which are unknown.

The researchers also found that half of the pears sampled across Europe were contaminated with up to five potent chemical agents. This figure rises to shocking levels, with 87% in Belgium and 85% in Portugal.

Activist Roynel said: “Syngenta, Bayer and other chemical giants would say these micro-pesticides are completely safe. But health experts say that some chemicals have no safety limits, and that applies to most of these pesticides.”

Governments have been obliged to phase out harmful pesticides gradually, since the EU directive in 2011, but a report by the European Commission in 2019 showed that there has been no elimination. remove any harmful pesticides.

“It is clear to us that governments have no intention of banning these pesticides, no matter what the law says,” says activist Roynel. They are too concerned about the farming corridor, which is already dependent on strong chemicals, and fear the agricultural model will be disrupted.”

Statistics show that more than a third of Europeans are concerned about food contaminated with pesticides. In 2017, a second public petition was presented to the EU, calling for a complete ban on pesticides, and it immediately garnered more than 1 million signatures.

The European Commission is expected to announce new pesticide reduction targets on June 22 as part of efforts to protect the environment, and will also announce nature restoration targets.

The commission wants to tie up new regulations to cut pesticide use in half by 2030, but the PAN says lobbyists are trying to curtail these goals.