Controversy between health benefits and chemical use clarified

Latest studies made in Europe, US and Canada show that residue limits are exceeded for 1% for domestic produce, and above 4% for imported ones. The Global Coalition for Fresh Produce (GCFP) alerts that harmonizing residue limits for agrochemicals across countries is critical to reduce trade barriers caused by diverging national regulations. Inconsistent and differing national limits create high compliance costs and significant uncertainty for fresh produce growers and traders globally. GCFP members are AEBE Ecuador, AUSVEG Australia, COLEAD (ACP Countries), CPMA Canada, Freshfel Europe, Growers of Canada SFA (Southern Hemisphere) and United Fresh New Zealand.

Climate change exacerbates sanitary risks

Unprecedented extreme weather events and climate change add pressure on producers to rely on agrochemicals to protect their yields and prevent product loss. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events directly influence the life cycles, population dynamics, and geographical distribution of plant pathogens and pests. Since temperature is the most important environmental factor affecting insect population dynamics, it is expected that global climate warming will expand the geographical range and increase the populations of many agricultural pests and diseases. Milder winters allow more pests to survive, and warmer temperatures can accelerate their life cycles and increase the frequency of outbreaks. Meanwhile, stress from higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns makes crops more vulnerable to pests and diseases, increasing the need for chemical interventions. In addition, warmer climates can lead to extended plant growing seasons and therefore more opportunities for weeds and pests to proliferate. At the same time, some crop protection products may become less effective in warmer conditions or when applied more frequently, forcing farmers to apply more of them, or more often.

Residue exceedances are rare, 1% for domestic produce

The recent results of residue testing in the main consumption markets for fresh produce show that compliance rates are consistently very high, for both fruits and vegetables. The following graphs show the latest residue testing results for the European Union, the United States of America and Canada. In all three cases, overall compliance rates with legal tolerances are extremely high: 96 percent for domestic and imported produce in the European Union; 98.5 percent for domestic fruit, 94 percent for domestic vegetables, 92.5 percent for imported fruit, and 87 percent for imported vegetables in the United States of America; and 99 percent for domestic produce, and 94 percent for imported produce in Canada.

Far bellow safety limits

Consumers can feel confident when buying and eating fruits and vegetables, no matter where they are grown. The thresholds set by regulators for chemical residues in fruits and vegetables incorporate 100- to 1000-fold safety margins, even for the most vulnerable consumer groups, and are rigorously enforced. The residues found in fruits and vegetables are consistently far below these safety limits. For the members of the GCFP the real risk is not pesticide exposure but not eating enough fruits and vegetables!

For more information on the industry approach to the safe use of chemicals by the industry and the compliance to residue limits, you can write here.