The Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme is a risk based programme which is agreed between my Department and the Food Safety Authority on an annual basis. In the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 the number of mushroom samples analysed for pesticide residues included samples taken by An Bord Glas. The results which are published in the Department's annual report ‘Pesticides Residues in Food' contained the results of between 40 and 50 mushroom samples taken per year.
Since 2002, the number of mushroom samples analysed annually under the Department's residue monitoring programme was 9 or 10 samples. This number compares favourably with other EU countries, where e.g., 10 mushroom samples were analysed in Sweden, 48 in the UK, 12 in the Netherlands and 19 in Belgium in 2005. The numbers taken were based on a risk analysis which was significantly influenced by the fact that there was no exceeding of the Maximum Residue Level for mushrooms sampled in Ireland since 1994.