'Far higher pesticide residues' are allowed on UK food since Brexit

The amount of pesticide residue allowed on scores of food types in England, Wales and Scotland has soared since Brexit, analysis reveals, with some now thousands of times higher.

- Damian Carrington

Changes to regulations in Great Britain mean more than 100 items are now allowed to carry more pesticides when sold to the public, ranging from potatoes to onions, grapes to avocados, and coffee to rice.

For tea, the maximum residue level (MRL) was increased by 4,000 times for the insecticide chlorantraniliprole and the fungicide boscalid. For the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, classed as a "probable human carcinogen" by the World Health Organization (WHO), the MRL for beans was raised by 7.5 times.

The purpose of the pesticide MRL regime is to protect public health, wildlife and the natural environment. Campaigners said the list of pesticides included reproductive toxins and carcinogens and that the weaker MRLs reduced protections for consumers in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has retained the EU MRLS.

The changes took place between 2022 and 2024 under the previous Conservative government and replaced stronger EU MRLS. In contrast to Great Britain, the EU has not weakened the MRLS for the pesticides and in some cases is making them even stricter. The campaigners called on the Labour government to reverse the changes.

MRLs have been weakened for 49 different pesticides, 15 of which are on a list of "highly hazardous pesticides" compiled by Pesticide Action Network UK (Pan UK), based on data from national and international authorities.