A partnership between The Greenery and Syngenta Crop Protection aimed at reducing pesticide residues in produce is set to continue this year following its success in 2008, it has been announced.
The groups decided to renew the partnership following a successful leek project last year that looked to improve the sustainability of the crop's production.
'Leek crops already have very good results in the area of residue impact,' said Rien Simonse of The Greenery's Quality and Environment Department. 'We have tried to reduce the residues in market-ready leeks even more, for example with the use of an adapted treatment scheme. Of course, our starting point remains a high-quality product.'
Through the tests, which involved five of The Greenery's affiliated leek producers, new knowledge has been gained on the application of certain pesticides, the group said. This in turn has lead to new protocols that are easier to implement and ensure that leeks meet and exceed European statutory retail requirements.
'Syngenta places great importance on the well-balanced application of pesticides for an optimum quality and a minimum of residues,' said Hans de Vlugt and Jan Bouwman of Syngenta.
As a result, further cooperative research has been planned for 2009, with additional work on leeks supplemented by examining other crops.
'The open manner in which the leek producers scrutinise their results in the area of crop protection and residues is an example worth following,' said Pieter van Dongen, Open Fields Crops product manager at The Greenery.
