The regulations covering plant protection products, including molluscides, empower authorised officers of the Minister to carry out inspections at pesticide products sales outlets, to sample and analyse plant protection products, and to sample and analyse raw agricultual produce for residual traces of pesticides. During these inspection visits, where serious breaches of the provisions of the regulations are identified, the pesticides concerned are seized and disposed of at the owner's expense. Food products which are found through the routine monitoring programme to contain pesticide residues exceeding the maximum residue limits, MRLs, laid down under the regulations are targeted for further sampling and analysis. In cases where non-compliance by the farmer or grower with good agricultural practice in the use of plant protection products is established, the farmer or grower will be interviewed by officers of the Minister and is issued with a formal warning. Samples of produce which are found to exceed the MRLs may be destroyed at the owner's expense and without payment of compensation.
There were no prosecutions for breaches of regulations in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
