The slow pace of new pesticide authorisations and the divergence in maximum residue limits between Great Britain (GB) and the EU could pose a risk to fresh produce supply chains.
Speaking to growers and agronomists at the Bayer vegetable conference in early February, Phil Gurney of Audax, a firm of pesticide consultants to the fresh produce sector, warned that the increasing risk of maximum residue limit (MRL) exceedances could pose a threat to retailer supply chains.
“The slow progress made in authorising new pesticide products and in reviewing MRLs for already approved products, compared with the pace of activity seen in the European Union, is causing concern in certain quarters,” Mr Gurney said.
“This is leading to a significant and rapidly increasing rate of divergence between GB and EU regulations that may well result in MRL exceedances in the fresh produce coming into GB from continental Europe. As other countries focus on EU standards, we may see more problems with produce destined for GB. This is likely to make it increasingly difficult for retailers to manage pesticides and pesticide issues unless the regulatory situation improves,” he added.
If these problems are resolved “perhaps through the adoption of those new EU MRLs, which have been set at a higher level than those in place in GB, then a crisis can be averted, but there is clearly a lot of work to done before this becomes reality,” he noted.
At issue is the disturbance and possible product shortages it will inflict on product availability in supermarkets, but as growers in Europe elsewhere benefit from new product authorisations ahead of those in GB, resentment among domestic producers is likely to grow too.
Of the pesticide issues that face retailers Mr Gurney explained that MRL compliance is the greatest concern.
“This is probably the most important pesticide issue that retailers have to consider. It is against the law to knowingly place a food product on the market that exceeds the MRL.”
Recent legislation, both at the EU and GB level, was also likely to impact retailers’ pesticide policies as is the growing consumer interest in how food is produced.
“The cumulative effect of pesticides on the environment is an area of political focus. The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy includes a section on Harmonised Risk Indicators for the environmental effect of pesticides and DEFRA’s forthcoming National Action Plan for Pesticides is likely to include similar measures,” Mr Gurney said.
A consequence of this increased focus on pesticides is that the issue is likely to have greater prominence in future Corporate Social Responsibility commitments. The challenge facing growers is to ensure that retailers recognise that without plant protection products, the production of quality fresh produce would be under threat.
“I can see retailer transparency around all things pesticides increasing. More information is likely to be placed in the public domain, while many may publish summary results of their pesticide monitoring on their websites too,” Mr Gurney said.
Pesticides are just one of the many areas where retailers are under pressure to improve performance. Constraints in the supply chain, the need to cut the amount of single use plastics and a focus on cutting carbon emissions are all of equal if not greater importance to society. Growers and processors will be expected to contribute positively to these efforts while also finding ways to reduce the use of pesticides.
