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An overview of pesticide legislative controls and surveillance CCFRA Review No. 33 (2002) |
 
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Gain an understanding of the regulation and surveillance of pesticides for use in support of food safety and quality assurance programmes. Pesticides are an important part of the food production system. They protect the crop in the field and the produce during post-harvest storage and distribution, against a wide variety of pests and diseases. Their use, however, is strictly regulated. For example, pesticides have to be registered before they can be used and, once a pesticide is registered, the crops and situations for which it can be used are clearly defined. Maximum residue levels (MRLs) are specified, for specific crop-pesticide combinations, to help ensure that pesticides are used in accordance with good agricultural practice, and domestic and European authorities routinely carry out surveillance exercises to monitor this. However, the regulations relating to pesticide registration and setting of MRLs can be confusing - not least because there are several sets of regulations and standards (e.g. UK, EU, Codex), some of which are being harmonised. This review provides an overview of the legislative controls of pesticide use in the UK and describes the various types of surveillance exercise carried out in support of the regulations. It also includes 2 appendices that summarise typical surveillance data from the UK and published results of studies into the effects of processing on pesticide residue levels.
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