European average 2004
Average pesticide residues in fresh (incl. frozen) fruit, vegetables and cereals in Europe
This year, data from eight new Member States were included in the Commission's residue report for the first time.Number of participating EU and EFTA-States: 26
Total number of samples analysed: 55395
Number of pesticide analysed for (average): 169
Number of pesticides found (average): 69
Samples with no detectable residues and with residues below/at or above MRLs (%):
MRL = national or EC Maximum Residue Limit
Source: European Commission (2006): Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Products of Plant Origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, 2004 Report
Multiple residues: Share of samples with 2, 3,..., 8 and more pesticides
Total of samples with multiple residues (European average): 12986
(=23,44 % of analysed samples)
Source: European Commission (2006): Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Products of Plant Origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, 2004 Report
Data comparability
The comparability of pesticide residue data is limited, because of several factors causing differences in the national monitoring programs. The monitoring results depends, for example, on the non-harmonized national Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), which can differ between the countries, the range of samples taken, the analytical quality standards or the number of pesticides which were analyzed.
The table and the two graphs below provide available information on the ‘samples taken by country’ (sum of surveillance and follow-up enforcement samples, sum of fresh (incl. frozen) fruit, vegetables, cereals and processed products) and the ‘number of pesticides analysed for and found’ as indicator of the Quality of the pesticide residue monitoring.
| Member State | Number of Samples | Samples taken per 100,000 inhabitants | Number of Pesticides analysed for | Number of Pesticides found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria [AT] | 1,912 | 23 | 273 | 90 |
| Belgium [BE] | 1,766 | 17 | 181 | 61 |
| Cyprus [CY] | 325 | 43 | 134 | 39 |
| Czech Republic [CZ] | 791 | 8 | 119 | 64 |
| Denmark [DK] | 1,624 | 30 | 147 | 76 |
| Finland [FIN] | 2,171 | 41 | 199 | 95 |
| France [F] | 4,568 | 8 | 222 | 90 |
| Germany [D] | 14337 | 17 | 595 | 263 |
| Greece [EL] | 2,049 | 18 | 70 | 15 |
| Hungary [HU] | 2,918 | 29 | 148 | 75 |
| Iceland [IS] | 323 | 110 | 41 | 24 |
| Ireland [IE] | 1,036 | 25 | 113 | 52 |
| Italy [IT] | 7,407 | 13 | 277 | 129 |
| Latvia [LT] | 448 | 13 | 67 | 21 |
| Liechtenstein [LI] | 36 | 104 | 48 | 1 |
| Lithuania [LU] | 165 | 36 | 46 | 15 |
| Malta [MT] | 65 | 16 | 141 | 9 |
| The Netherlands [NL] | 3,416 | 21 | 387 | 166 |
| Norway [NO] | 2,207 | 48 | 211 | 74 |
| Poland [PL] | 917 | 2 | 60 | 41 |
| Portugal [PT] | 589 | 6 | 134 | 40 |
| Slovakia [SK] | 1,047 | 19 | 78 | 39 |
| Slovenia [SI] | 967 | 48 | 102 | 42 |
| Spain [ES] | 3,888 | 9 | 190 | 79 |
| Sweden [SE] | 2,355 | 26 | 228 | 96 |
| United Kingdom [UK] | 3,123 | 5 | 184 | 92 |
Source: European Commission (2006): Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Products of Plant Origin in the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, 2004 Report, Annex 1
Number of Pesticides tested (2004)
Samples taken per head (2004)
Samples taken per head
Percentage of samples of vegetables, fruit and cereals with detectable pesticide residues found in official national monitoring programs (2004)
