Improving the handling of residue cases in organic production – part 1 "Quick Scan"

Summary

The aim of the «Quick Scan» project is to provide an inventory of current procedures concerning residue cases in organic products. To this end, experts were interviewed about the current situation in their respective countries. 19 control bodies (CBs), 29 control authorities (CAs) and 5 food companies returned a completed questionnaire. The following 25 EU Member States are covered in the Quick Scan: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and UK.
Sampling procedures are governed by European and national legislation, as well as by internal documents. Sample selection is governed mainly by risk assessment and by the requirement to include 5 % of operators. In many countries, CBs are free to choose laboratories, while in other countries, the authorities provide a list of labs from which to choose.
Experts from 17 out of 25 Member States (MS) (= 72 %) reported that for each pesticide residue case, an investigation is carried out, irrespective of the residue level. For 6 MS (= 20 %), it was reported that whether an investigation is carried out depends on pesticide residue level. For 2 MS (= 8 %), it was reported that an investigation is carried out on a case by case basis.
Experts from 8 out of 25 MS (= 32 %) reported that products containing unauthorized pesticides are always de‐certified, irrespective of quantity, cause and accountability. For 6 MS (= 24 %), it was reported that the decision on de‐certification depends on pesticide residue levels. For 11 MS (= 44 %), it was reported that a de‐certification decision is taken on a case by case basis.
Experts from 4 out of 25 MS (= 16%) mentioned that residue cases are always reported to the official authority while in 3 MS (= 12%), residue cases are notified on a case by case basis. For 18 MS (= 72 %), no details were provided.
The main finding of this survey is that residue findings in organic products are handled very differently across EU MS. The heterogeneity is significant and concerns all aspects, from the legal basis to sampling and lab selection, case investigation, evaluation and exchange of information.