(by Giovanni D'Agata) One or more types of pesticides have been detected in more than 80% of European farmland, according to a study by the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, published Wednesday in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment. Scientists looked at the presence of 76 pesticide compositions on agricultural land in eleven European countries. The research team analyzed samples from the upper layer of 317 European farmland, where various crops such as potatoes, wheat, corn and vegetables are grown, as well as vineyards. They have carried out tests in eleven European countries: Portugal, United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, France and Germany.
These countries were selected because they have the most agricultural land and use the highest number of pesticides in agriculture. The most commonly detected pesticides are glyphosate and its chemical compound, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) - banned in Europe for decades - and the chemical pesticides boscalid, epoxiconazole and tebuconazole. The largest number of pesticides found in the soil was 2,87 milligrams per kilogram of soil. "As we found more than one pesticide residue in 58% of the samples, it can be said that the presence of different pesticides in the soil is the rule rather than the exception," explains Professor Violette Geissen of the Soil Physics and Land research group. Management. According to the researchers, it is not yet clear what effects the substances have on soil organisms.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has already studied the effects of pesticide residues, but nothing is known about the effects of mixtures. The research team is supporting EU legislation on thresholds and quality standards for pesticides in soil, both for some type of pesticide and for compounds that endanger essential soil organisms. “First, the effects of each pesticide and pesticide mixture must be thoroughly tested before adequate standards for soil protection can be developed,” concluded the researchers. For Giovanni D'Agata, president of the "Rights Desk", the mere fact that there are still food products marketed on the single market that have quantities of pesticides beyond the legal limits must make us reflect because obviously the efforts made traceability of goods are not yet served, while many others need to be done to force the EU to further lower the legal thresholds on doses of products and chemicals.