British potatoes may have been sprayed with benthiavalicarb, a fungicide banned in the EU because it causes cancer. This is according to a new report by Greenpeace, published on Thursday, which found that the ingredients of a traditional Sunday roast have potentially been treated with a cocktail of more than 100 pesticides.
The report, based on data from the Fera pesticide usage survey for 2024, showed that 102 pesticides – including seven banned in the EU – were used on seven vegetable and soft fruit categories. These include potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, onions, and strawberries, which are commonly part of a classic English roast dinner.
Details of Pesticide Contamination
Roast potatoes may have been sprayed with benthiavalicarb, a fungicide banned in the rest of Europe due to its carcinogenic properties. They may also have been treated with metribuzin, a herbicide banned because it is an endocrine disruptor. Carrots could have been treated with the insecticide spirotetramat, whose EU approval has expired and is known to kill bees and fish. Peas are often treated with the herbicide S-metolachlor, which poses risks to mammals and has been implicated in groundwater contamination. Strawberries may have been doused with clofentezine, dimethomorph, and mepanipyrim, all banned in the EU because they are endocrine disruptors and may harm human and animal hormones.
Environmental Impact
Not only were crops sprayed with a range of pesticides, but many were dosed repeatedly. Nina Schrank, a senior campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: 'Our countryside is being drenched in pesticides, with devastating consequences for bees, birds, butterflies, rivers and the soil. Fields that once hummed with wildlife are falling silent while agrochemical giants rake in enormous profits and farmers are trapped in a costly cycle of chemical dependency.'
The report highlights that the extensive use of pesticides is devastating the natural world, pointing to stark declines in birds, butterflies, and hedgehogs. Since World War II, pesticide use has become standard practice to eliminate weeds, insects, and fungi that hinder efficient agricultural production. However, what might be considered a weed could also be a wildflower providing shelter or food for many creatures. Insects that eat crops are themselves food for other animals, and pesticides affect non-target species as well.
Calls for Action
The UK government's pesticides national action plan targets a 10% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. Greenpeace argues for a 50% cut in use, impact, and toxicity by the same deadline. The campaign group calls for the UK to realign with EU standards 'as a baseline', ban imports of food grown with unlicensed pesticides, and increase organic agriculture to at least 10%.
In response, the National Farmers' Union stated that many of these chemicals are used only when necessary, are among the most highly regulated chemical products in the world, and that crop yields could fall by up to 50% without them. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'We place strict limits on pesticide residue levels in food, which are set after rigorous risk assessments to make sure levels are safe for consumers. These limits apply to both food produced domestically and imported from other countries. Our UK national action plan, published last year, sets out how we will support farmers, growers, and other land managers to increase their use of sustainable practices to reduce potential harm from pesticides, while controlling pests and pesticide resistance effectively and protecting food security.'
