I am very pleased to present the results of the national monitoring programme for pesticide residues in food carried out in 2000 by the Department’s Pesticide Control Service as a service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Food safety is of great importance to all involved in the food chain and, through the residue monitoring programme, consumers can be assured that they are not exposed to unacceptable pesticide residue levels and that only authorized pesticides are applied to food crops. I am also pleased to report that the Pesticide Control Laboratory has achieved accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of Ireland to the ISO 17025 standard, during 2000, for the analysis of selected pesticide residues in food of plant origin. The accreditation status of the laboratory will be extended to cover additional pesticides and food commodities. This report provides detailed information on the results of the sampling and analysis programmes for residual traces of pesticides in both imported and domestic food.
