The EFSA confirms once again, the excellence of European agriculture and the quality of our food

According to Aepla, the European food safety authority (EFSA) has made public the annual report of phytosanitary waste products for the financial year 2008, which indicated that 96.5% of the samples tested were within the maximum residues limits (LMRs).

The results of the report show the excellent quality of the food we eat, and, therefore, confirms the commitment of the European agriculture food security ', stated the director-general of AEPLA (Business Association for the protection of plants) Carlos Palomar, who added: ' is essential for our health, a healthy and balanced diet in which the variety of fruits and vegetables is an essential part. Plant protection products (medicines from plants), are essential for achieving an effective and profitable agriculture producing healthy, safe food at affordable prices for all consumers. All citizens must be able to access a diet varied regardless of social class and economic situation '.

The MRL (maximum residues limits) are set to ensure that plant protection products are applied according to the authorized uses comply with the instructions on the label of the product (which is equivalent to the prospect of pharmaceuticals) and avoiding further trade barriers, because to be harmonised at Community level, no State may arbitrarily require limits other than I set out by the EFSA.

Plant protection products are subject to strict controls to ensure their safety, so its correct application does not represent any threat to human health. They are good practices observed by our farmers in management, implementation and management of packaging of plant protection, the best guarantee of security, and in this regard, the European phytosanitary industry will always work in all initiatives which have as their objective the better training of our farmers and therefore the safety of our food.

To access to the Report EFSA: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1646.htm