At the request of the European Commission, EFSA has issued a technical report on nonauthorized substances present in organic products. OPTA Europe welcomes the recognition that pesticides are ubiquitous but is disappointed that EFSA recommendations are inconsistent with the established evidence. “We also regret that the study is too narrow in scope and does not cover the unauthorized substances that operators most frequently have to deal with, mainly environmental contaminants,” they add.
EFSA has issued a technical report on 21 active substances not authorised for use but detected more frequently in organic products. The document shows that quantifiable residues were found in 3.95% of organic commodities, against 17.5% of conventional ones. They are distributed in a slightly uneven manner between imported organic products (58,7%) and EU-origin ones (41,3%). For each substance, several possible sources of residues were identified. Other the unauthorized application, the report acknowledges that the transfer from contaminated soil, water and air, from short and long distances, can also explain the presence of residues in organic products.
OPTA Europe welcomes the scientific insight brought to bear on this longstanding challenge: “EFSA report confirms what organic operators and researches have been claiming for years: an increasingly polluted environment corresponds to unavoidable transfer of pesticides into organic products”.
The report acknowledges that the transfer from contaminated soil, water and air, from short and long distances, can also explain the presence of residues in organic products
However, they regret that the scope of the study is too restricted and fails to cover environmental contaminants, which are the most frequently found unauthorized substances: “We regret that the scope of the study is based on OFIS database, which is statistically not representative of the reality on the ground. Regular EFSA’s reports on pesticides residues in food best reflect the nonauthorized substances that organic operators most frequently encounter, mostly environmental contaminants such as bromide or chlorate”.
“In our views, EFSA recommendations are not aligned with the established evidence. Having acknowledged the different pathways of non-authorized substances into organic products, it is not understandable that EFSA’s recommendations put the focus on direct use, and only additionally on the possibility of transfer from pesticides used in the vicinity or from contaminated soil or water”, they state out.
OPTA Europe urges policymakers to make use of this wealth of technical knowledge to improve the lives of organic operators.
- Read OPTA Europe’s full statement
- Further information available at www.opta-eu.org
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