Quarter 4 2023 report on the pesticide residues monitoring programme: findings by food in Northern Ireland and risk assessments
Updated 25 September 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pesticide-residues-in-food-quarterly-monitoring-results-for-2023/quarter-4-2023-report-on-the-pesticide-residues-monitoring-programme-findings-by-food-in-northern-ireland-and-risk-assessments
Summary
For more information on the results, read the:
- summary table of results
- survey design
- glossary
- HSE assessment of risk
- detailed pesticide residues in food quarterly data, which includes brand name, sampling point and origin information, pesticides sought and residues found
Fish (oily) (NI)
Samples tested
9 samples were tested for up to 39 pesticide residues.
Mackerel
2 samples were imported from outside the EU.
Salmon
2 samples came from the UK. 5 samples were imported from outside the EU
Where no sea area information is available, the country of origin on the packaging does not necessarily indicate where the fish was caught or farmed. It could be where it was landed, processed or where it was packed for retail.
Pesticide residues detected from those sought
8 samples contained no residues from those sought. One sample contained residues above the reporting limit. None of the samples contained residues above the MRL. None of the samples were labelled as organic.
Risk assessments
The residue detected by the laboratory would not be expected to have an effect on health.
Combined risk assessments
None of the samples contained more than one residue, so we did not carry out a combined risk assessment.
Additional Comments by the PRiF
DDT
One sample of salmon contained a residue of DDT. The use of DDT is banned or heavily restricted in many countries because these residues take a long time to breakdown in the environment and can accumulate in fatty tissue.
An interpretation of the analytical results shows that the DDT residue found was in the form of DDE which indicates historical use. The residue may originate in fishmeal fed to farmed salmon rather than the local environment. More detailed information about DDT residues can be found in Issues arising in this report.
Milk (NI)
Samples tested
13 samples were tested for up to 39 pesticide residues.
Cows milk
10 samples came from the UK.
Goats milk
3 samples came from the UK.
Pesticide residues detected from those sought
13 samples contained no residues from those sought. None of the samples contained residues above the reporting limit. None of the samples contained residues above the MRL. 5 samples were labelled as organic (none contained residues from those sought).
Risk assessments
The laboratory did not detect any residues, so we did not carry out a risk assessment.
Additional Comments by the PRiF
None.
Poultry Meat (NI)
Samples tested
8 samples were tested for up to 43 pesticide residues.
Chicken
4 samples came from the UK. 2 samples came from the EU.
Turkey
One sample came from the UK. One sample came from the EU.
The country of origin of samples may not be the same as the country where the poultry was produced. It may be where the poultry was processed, where they were packed for consumer purchase or the address of the brand owner.
Pesticide residues detected from those sought
8 samples contained no residues from those sought. None of the samples contained residues above the reporting limit. None of the samples contained residues above the MRL. None of the samples were labelled as organic.
Risk assessments
The laboratory did not detect any residues, so we did not carry out a risk assessment.
Additional Comments by the PRiF
None.
The Short-term dietary risk assessment – single substance assessments where exceedance of the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) has been identified during screening section includes risk assessments that cover NI residues.
This document is part 3 of 4 of the Quarter 4 2023 report.