Due to agricultural poisons (pesticides), 103 notifications from Turkey were made from the European Union in the first half of 2023. According to the notifications, the use of pesticides banned in our country still continues. Struggling for food safety and a healthy future, the Non-Toxic Tables Platform is waiting for an explanation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry regarding the inspections carried out in the domestic market and their results.
RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) 2022 report, which provides information exchange on the measures taken against serious risks identified in food or feed, made 430 notifications of pesticides originating in Turkey originating in fruits and vegetables. The number of these notifications reached 103 in the first half of 2023. From the notifications, 80 batches of products were rejected at the border and returned to our country, and almost half of them contain banned pesticide active substances.
Pesticide cocktails draw attention in notifications
In recent years, the agricultural poison in the pomegranate caused the death of a child. Looking at the reports, it is seen that Acetamiprid, Imazalil, Sulfozaflor and the banned Propiconazole are used simultaneously in pomegranate. This result reveals that no lessons have been learned even from the bitter consequences.
It is noteworthy that more than one pesticide is used in other reported fruits and vegetables. Multiple pesticide active ingredients interact with each other to create a cocktail effect and thus become more harmful. Toxicological studies for regulations only focus on health problems caused by a single toxic chemical. It does not take into account pesticides from different foods on the same day, different pesticides from the same food, or other environmental exposures.
Loss of reputation in the foreign market, anxiety in the domestic market
Despite its high agricultural production potential, Turkey’s commercial reputation is being damaged, with record levels of agricultural pesticide notifications increasing.
The increase in notifications and the continuation of notifications about banned pesticides cause consumer concern about inspections. Although the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry conducts inspections on pesticide residues in the domestic market, the fact that the inspection results are not shared with transparency, the increase in pesticide-related notifications in exported products and the presence of notifications about pesticides that have been discontinued raise the concerns that more pesticides may be found in the products offered to the domestic market.
