European Union pesticide residues

Until 1991, manufacturers seeking authorizations for pesticides had to fulfil country-specific requirements of validation of enforcement methods. The term enforcement method means analytical methods which are developed for post-registration control and monitoring purposes. The harmonization of these requirements was initiated with the European Economic Community (EEC) Council Directive 91/414/EEC and temporarily finalized with the Guidance Document on Residue Analytical Methods SANCO/825/00 rev. 6, dated 20 June 2000 [Santd et Protection des Consommateurs (SANCO)]. The evaluation of validation studies by the competent authority is conducted by comparison of these European Union (EU) requirements with the study results and most often without any practical experience of the method. Some details of this evaluation are discussed below. 

Field residue data, which are generated to meet requirements in the pesticide registration process, are used to regulate the use of agriculture products within the European Union (EU). This article examines the best practices to conduct crop field trials and to generate crop residue samples in Europe in order to provide part of the data that the agrochemical producers of the active ingredients must provide to the EU Commission. 

For example, in order to meet the demanding requirements of legislation such as the European Union (EU) Baby Food Directive (Directive 95/5/EC and subsequent revisions), analysts must improve on the scope and sensitivity of multiresidue methods of analysis. This Baby Food Directive, which became effective on 1 July 2002, limits residues of all pesticides to a maximum level of 0.01 mgkg There will also be a banned list of pesticides, annexed to the Directive, which will not permit the use of certain pesticides on crops intended for use in baby food production. As a consequence, food manufacturers often require residue results for raw or primary ingredients within 24 8 h of sample receipt at the laboratory. 

European Commission, (2004). Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Products of Plant Origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, 2001 Report, Sanco/17/04—Final/EC. 

To protect consumers health, many countries have restricted the use of pesticides by establishing legal directives on maximum residue levels (MRLs) to control their levels in food (28). These MRLs sometimes cause conflicts, because residue levels acceptable in one country may be unacceptable in others. This problem has revealed the need to harmonize the different MRLs, which have been dealt with mainly by two international organizations, the European Union (EU) at the European Level, and the Codex Alimentarius Commision of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (28,29). 

SCPH (1998) Monitoring for pesticide residues in the European Union and Norway. Report 1996. Standing Committee on Plant Health. 

In the European Union, analysts have been considering developing guidance for pesticide residue analyses for a number of years. The latest draft of this guidance is available as Document SANCO/10684/2009. This document (like its immediate precursors) contains valuable and general material that can be readily applied to any residue testing laboratory, whether they are testing for pesticides or antibiotic residues. 

At present, complete harmonization of MRLs across the European Union (EU) member states has not yet been accomplished. Thus, most regulation of pesticide residues in food is based on MRLs established by national legislation in each member state. These un-harmonized MRLs may reflect different GAP and thus may differ between members. A program for creation of a harmonized set of EU... 

Finally, even if most of the pesticides worldwide are used in fruit and vegetable crops, data on pesticide residues in animal products are also essential, taking into account that livestock can be easily exposed to pesticides directly or through residues in their feed. For instance, the 2009 European Union Report revealed the presence of 34 different pesticides in animal products [115]. Garcfa de Llasera et al. [128] revealed the presence of chlofenvinphos and chlorpyrifos in liver samples, whereas a-endosnlfan, endosulfan sulfate, and dichloran have been reported in pork and lamb samples (<10 pg/kg) [129]. Bolafios et al. [130] studied the occurrence of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in chicken eggs. Benzene hexachloride and 28 polychlorinated biphenyl were detected in only one of the 30 samples at concentrations of 15 and 10 ng/g, respectively. However, five samples also contained traces of OC and PCB residues, even if at concentration levels below the limit of quantification. Einally, a-endosulfan and P-endosulfan were found in commercial milk-based infant formulas at concentration levels from 1.18 to 5.03 pg/kg [35]. The same study also showed the presence of fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos ethyl, and bifenthrin at maximum concentrations of 0.23,1.30, and 0.68 pg/kg, respectively. 

European Food Safety Authority. 2011. The 2009 European Union Report of Pesticide Residues in Food. EFSA Journal 9(11) 2430. 

Eurthermore, to ensure consumer protection by regulating the use of pesticides during the process of the production of olive fruits used in VOO production, both the European Union and the Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have established maximum residue levels (MRLs) in table olives and olives for oil production [110,111]. 

Commission of the European Communities. (2008) Monitoring of pesticide residues in products of plant origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein (2006), http //ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/ speciaheports/pesticides index en.htm. 

Official Journal of the European Union 16.3.2005, L 70/1 Regulation (EC) No, 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 February 2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin and amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC. 

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