Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Mar 1997

Vol. 477 No. 1

Written Answers. - Pesticide Levels in Foods.

Michael McDowell

Question:

69 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the staff resources within his Department's residue laboratory devoted to testing of food stuffs for the presence of pesticide; the percentage of the total pesticides on the Irish market for which minimum residue levels have been established; if he has satisfied himself that the capacity of the laboratory is adequate to provide effective monitoring of pesticide levels in Irish foods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8403/97]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

There are 19 staff currently employed in my Department's pesticide control service, of which 5.2 staff equivalent are exclusively engaged in monitoring pesticide residues. Plans are at an advanced stage to expand the residue monitoring programme, to provide more testing facilities and to recruit additional staff, nine of whom will be allocated to pesticide monitoring work. The enhanced monitoring programme will provide added assurance to consumers about the quality of the food being marketed in this country.

Maximum residues limits — MRLs — are set down under EU legislation and to date MRLs have been fixed for 43 per cent of all plant protection products on the Irish market. The pesticide control service of my Department monitors the level of residues in foodstuffs and of 9,398 samples analysed in the period 1990-96 only 62 samples — 0.66 per cent — were found to exceed the MRL. By international comparison these results compare very favourably with other countries.