An industry standard for pesticide residue monitoring is being developed for Europe.
Freshfel, the European fresh produce trade association, has established a working group on the subject and is set to launch a pilot project to look into the possibility of making a standard a reality.
Freshfel said the availability of a common industry standard and a scheme for monitoring would represent an important asset for the fruit and vegetable sector.
Tom Lyall, Freshfel spokesman, said: “Adhering to common practices among schemes will limit the degree of error among data sets from different laboratories.
“It would improve the accuracy of data, aid comparison, permit data trend analysis and increase the integrity of good agricultural practice schemes performing residue monitoring and lead to greater food security.
“Furthermore, significant cost reduction is envisaged for the sector,” he added.
Freshfel’s working group is preparing to finalise a draft monitoring standard for minimum residue level analysis within the next two months.
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