Plant Protection Products, better known as ‘pesticides’, cover a wide range of substances that have different uses in the agriculture sector. Controls are carried out to ensure that food placed on the market complies with the permissible legal limits for pesticide residues.
These limits are supported by scientific studies and evaluations carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These are conducted with the ultimate aim of safeguarding consumers and the environment. The results of controls are evaluated and reported annually to the EFSA.
In the last EFSA report, which describes the official control activities carried out for pesticide residues in European Union member states (plus Norway and Iceland) for 2017, Malta ranked seventh out of 30 reporting countries in terms of sampling frequency, with 31.5 samples per 100,000 inhabitants. The average for all European countries was 17.1 samples per 100,000 inhabitants.
Data evaluation for the official control activities submitted annually by all ,ember states supports the analysis of pesticide-occurrence data in relevant food products consumed by European consumers.
It also supports the assessment of dietary risk in relation to the exposure of consumers to pesticide residues.
Overall, 95.9 per cent of the 88,247 samples analysed in 2017 fell within the legal limits. This percentage is also reflective of Malta’s results. The EFSA further reported that the probability of European citizens being exposed to pesticide residue levels that could lead to negative health outcomes is low.
In 2017, around 80 per cent of the products sampled by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) for pesticide residue testing resulted in no residues.
Pesticide residue testing that supports official control activities in Malta forms part of the pesticide residue monitoring conducted on different fruit and vegetables, as well as on products of animal origin, that are placed on the Maltese market.
Only 2.4 per cent of local samples exceeded residue levels
These product-samples are inclusive of both locally produced commodities and imported ones. The checks supporting the monitoring programme reflect seasonality and vary annually as defined by legislative provisions.
The EFSA reported that, compared to 2016, a decrease in non-compliant samples was observed for Malta. Only 2.4 per cent of the samples of local origin that were tested were reported as exceeding Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) when compared to the 13.5 per cent of the samples of local origin that were tested in 2016.
The MRL is the highest amount of a pesticide residue or pesticide trace that is legally permissible. This is set at EU level and follows strict EU regulations that are applicable to all the members of the EU.
The MCCAA continues to work closely with all stakeholders, including farmers, to reduce the risks and the impact of pesticide use on human health and the environment.
Legal action is taken against those who place food on the market that is found to contain illegal amounts of pesticide residue.
Samples are taken from various sources, including the pitkalija (farmer’s market), importers, distributors and shops, and are analysed in accredited laboratories.
In 2017, while an average of 126 different pesticide residues were analysed per sample, a total of 290 pesticides were sought during the analysis. The amount of pesticide residues analysed reflects the requirements of the EU coordinated multi-annual control programme.
In addition to the requirements of the multi-annual control programme, controls falling under the national monitoring program are also performed based on the evaluation of the ongoing pesticide residue result. The 2017 results from pesticide residue testing for samples of local origin also reported a decrease in the number of samples containing quantified residues that fall below or which are at the MRL.
These fell from 25.6 per cent in 2016 to 7.1 per cent in 2017. Pesticide residue monitoring programmes for Malta are ongoing annually, supporting national and EU legislation to ensure compliance with MRLs in order to assess consumer exposures to pesticide residue in and on food of plant and animal origin.
The comprehensive analysis of pesticide residue monitoring results provides evidence for designing subsequent monitoring programmes supporting a risk-based approach. In particular, among others, these support targeted commodities for future risk-based national programmes.
The authority was instrumental in drawing up the National Action Plan for the sustainable use of pesticides covering the period 2019-2023, which supports measures of control. These include controls of pesticide application equipment in use as well as on the training requirements of professional users and distributors of such products, among other provisions.
The plan was subject to the extensive consultation of all stakeholders, including farmers. The aim is to support measures which ensure that the use of such products does not negatively affect human health and the environment.
In addition to reducing risk, the plan supports a reduction in the use of such products and encourages weaning off dependence on them through the promotion of alternative techniques that make use of low pesticide-input strategies, such as integrated pest management techniques.
Edward Xuereb is director general of the Technical Regulations Division, MCCAA.