What are pesticides and who controls their use?

Pesticides include things such as insecticides, herbicides (weedkillers) and fungicides.

In the UK, the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) is responsible for the safety of pesticides used in commercial crop and plant production (used by farmers, growers and those working in forestry) as well as pesticides used by amateur gardeners. The PSD is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Co-op has called for a ban on the worldwide use of over 20 pesticides. Which of these are still used in the UK?

Six still have UK approvals:

• Chlorfenvinphos: An insecticide used on some crops and sheep. It is no longer used in the United States and will be banned in the UK from the end of the year.
• Ethoprophos: A pesticide used on fruit and vegetables. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides has recently reviewed the human health aspects of this compound and recommended that use can continue.
• Lindane: The pesticide lindane is classified by the European Union as a possible human carcinogen. It can no longer be used after 30 June, 2002, under EU legislation.
• Phorate: No longer used in the UK, according to the PSD.
• Triazoxide: Fairly new antifungal agent. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), no health concerns have been raised.
• Methyl Bromide: Use of this compound is due to be phased out globally because of concerns about environmental impact.

How might pesticides get into food?

There is a theoretical possibility that traces of pesticides used in food production may remain on products such as fruit and vegetables that have been sprayed.

The government carries out a monitoring programme for the presence of pesticides residues in food on sale in the UK.

The Working Party on Pesticide Residues, a government appointed committee of experts, analyses over 2,000 samples of UK-produced and imported produce each year. The total number of tests carried out on these samples is over 90,000, currently costing around �1.6m. Samples are taken from different retail outlets (major supermarkets, independent grocers and market stalls) throughout the UK.

The FSA says that of the six compounds listed above, only one - methyl bromide - is found during monitoring.

"Residues of this turn up fairly frequently and MRL [maximum recommended level] excedences do occur," says the FSA. "However, bromide occurs naturally in food and the level of residues in food do not give rise to health concerns."

What is official advice to consumers?

The Chief Medical Officer's general advice is that it is sensible to wash fruit and vegetables before eating to ensure that they are clean, regardless of whether or not pesticide residues might be present.