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Plant Protection, Food Production and the Consumer
Monitoring of Pesticide Residues
The mechanism used to ensure the safety of consumers is the maximum residue limit (MRL) for individual pesticides. MRLs are set on the basis of residue trials results following use of a pesticide in accordance with Good Agricultural Practice and, when established, must ensure that consumers are safe from possible adverse effects.
The Department’s pesticide residue monitoring programme is agreed with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on an annual basis. This programme involves analysis of samples of fruit, vegetables, milk and other dairy products, meat and cereals. These monitoring results are comparable to those reported by other countries and are published on an annual basis.
Consumer Exposure to Pesticide Residues
When assessing the impact on consumers of exposure to pesticide residues through diet, it is necessary to consider the effects of both chronic and acute exposure.
For the purposes of assessing the effects of chronic exposure, the level of exposure over a lifetime and the likely effects on health of such exposure must be considered. The effects of chronic exposure to a pesticide residue are assessed through estimation of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for the pesticide, which is an estimate of the maximum level of intake over a lifetime, judged to result in no adverse toxicological effect. Estimations made include a safety factor to ensure that the elderly, infants, children, and those whose systems are under stress because of illness, are protected.
For the purpose of assessing the effects of acute exposure, the level of exposure likely over a single day and the likely effects on health of such exposure must be considered. Acute effects of exposure to a pesticide residue are assessed through estimation of the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) for the pesticide, which is an estimate of the dose adjudged to result in no adverse toxicological effects following acute exposure. ARfD estimations made include a safety factor to ensure that the elderly, infants, children, and those whose systems are under stress because of illness, are protected.
Procedure for Sampling and Analysis of Food
To facilitate tracing producers of individual food consignments, and facilitate prevention of produce that may contain residues in excess of permitted MRLs being offered for sale to consumers, sampling is mainly carried out at wholesale level or point of collection. In the case of meat sampling is done at factory level. Sampling is biased in favour of food items of greater dietary importance and items which have historically been found to contain pesticide residues. Both imported and home produced food products are sampled.
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