CNA - February 8, 2012, 1:30 PM

(Taipei, CNA reporter Ye Suping) Control Yuan members Cheng Ren-hung and Yang Mei-ling found in their investigation that the Council of Agriculture's (COA) field pesticide residue monitoring mechanism failed to promptly reflect test results, allowing substandard fruits and vegetables to enter the market and be consumed by the public. The Control Yuan today passed a motion to censure the COA.

Cheng pointed out that the COA has established a pesticide residue sampling method, dispatching personnel to collect samples from fields at an appropriate time before harvest. These samples are then entrusted to institutions for pesticide residue testing, with follow-up management or administrative penalties based on the results. When pesticide residues exceed safe limits, producers are legally required not to harvest the crops.

However, Cheng and Yang's investigation found that before pesticide test results were available, over 80% of the fruits and vegetables had already been harvested. The COA's field pesticide residue monitoring mechanism failed to promptly reflect test results, allowing substandard produce to enter the market and be consumed by the public. Cheng noted that since the new cabinet aims to be a "safety-first cabinet," relevant agencies should understand consumer concerns and prioritize food safety.

Cheng stated that local governments failed to handle cases of excessive pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables in accordance with the law, and the COA did not effectively supervise local governments to enforce the Pesticide Management Act and related regulations on pesticide residue sampling, constituting negligence.

Cheng mentioned that the COA's sampling rate for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) fruit and vegetable production and marketing groups and training classes was as high as 60% or even close to 80%, while the sampling rate for ordinary farmers was only 30%.

He said that the number of members in agricultural production and marketing groups is about one-fourth of the general farming population, and GAP-certified groups account for only about 40% of all such groups nationwide. The disparity in sampling rates between GAP groups, training classes, and ordinary farmers does not align with the actual production sources of fruits and vegetables, nor does it reflect public dietary risks.

Cheng and Yang urged the COA to effectively guide and manage farmers in using pesticides according to regulations and to strictly penalize violators. The Control Yuan members also emphasized that "post-market monitoring" is the second line of defense in managing pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. The Department of Health should strengthen post-market monitoring mechanisms, increase sampling, and ensure public food safety.

Cheng noted that current standards allow for 336 types of pesticides, but the COA and the Department of Health can only test for 202 of them. He called on both agencies to enhance research and development in pesticide residue analysis methods to expand the range of detectable pesticides.

Additionally, he pointed out that domestic pesticide residue testing for agricultural products takes at least 15 working days, while testing for imported food, which is outsourced to private labs, takes only three working days—a significant disparity. The Department of Health should explore ways to shorten the time required for testing and releasing results for domestic agricultural products to improve efficiency.http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E8……3% BE% E6% AD% A3- 053014042. html;_ylt=Ao64gubWEw05g5eyTCspnrzgBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTFvM3N0cGdhBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVFcEcG9zAzIEc2VjA01lZGlhSW5maW5pdGVCcm93c2VMaXN0;_ylg=X3oDMTNoajByZmdoBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMwNjA2MzM5MC01YTMzLTNlNmYtOTliNi01YjMwZTllZGIwZTEEcHN0Y2F0A.WBpeW6t3zphqvnmYLnlr7nl4UEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3