Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
February 9, 2012, China Times [Report by Yang Yi, Taipei]
Domestic supermarkets have detected banned pesticides in some fruits and vegetables, sparking consumer panic. Coincidentally, a report released yesterday by the Control Yuan also pointed out that the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) field pesticide residue monitoring mechanism failed to promptly reflect test results, leading to over 80% of the produce being harvested before test results were available. The COA also failed to enforce regulations prohibiting the harvest of non-compliant produce, allowing contaminated fruits and vegetables to enter the market and be consumed. The Control Yuan yesterday passed a motion to censure the COA.
Investigating Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung and Yang Mei-ling noted that while residue limits have been set for 336 pesticides, the COA and the Department of Health can only test for 202 of them, leaving 134 pesticides unchecked. The COA and the Department of Health should enhance pesticide residue analysis methods and expand the range of detectable pesticides.
The censure motion stated that pesticide residue issues in fruits and vegetables have persisted in recent years. The COA established a pesticide residue sampling protocol, dispatching personnel to collect field samples before harvest and entrusting institutions to test for residues, with follow-up management or administrative penalties based on results.
According to COA data provided to the Control Yuan, pesticide residue testing takes about one to three weeks, while the entire process—from sampling in fields and collection sites to transportation, testing, and result completion—averages around 19 working days. Including the time to notify producers of non-compliant results, the process averages about 20 working days.
However, Cheng Jen-hung and Yang Mei-ling’s analysis of COA reports found that approximately 87% of produce had already been harvested before test results were available, indicating that the pesticide monitoring program failed to prevent contaminated fruits and vegetables from entering the market.
The Control Yuan members also noted that the COA is responsible for supervising local governments in conducting pesticide residue sampling, but local governments failed to penalize non-compliant producers as required by law, and the COA did not adequately oversee enforcement, constituting negligence.
Cheng and Yang further discovered that the COA’s pesticide monitoring program disproportionately sampled certified "Good Agricultural Practice" (GAP) produce groups and training classes compared to general farmers, failing to reflect actual production ratios or public dietary risks. This urgently requires review and improvement.
The Control Yuan members added that while domestic pesticide residue testing for agricultural products takes at least 15 working days, imported food pesticide residue testing, outsourced to private labs, takes only three working days—a significant discrepancy. The Department of Health should explore ways to shorten testing timelines to ensure food safety for the public.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E7……8% 8A% E5% B8% 82- 213000973. html;_ylt=AjXoOdHP4K_36lr_IjPy3wHgBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTFvY3ZjczUxBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVFcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA01lZGlhSW5maW5pdGVCcm93c2VMaXN0;_ylg=X3oDMTNoajByZmdoBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMwNjA2MzM5MC01YTMzLTNlNmYtOTliNi01YjMwZTllZGIwZTEEcHN0Y2F0A.WBpeW6t3zphqvnmYLnlr7nl4UEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3
80% of Produce Hits Market before Test Results
Domestic supermarkets have detected banned pesticides in some fruits and vegetables, sparking consumer panic. Coincidentally, a report released yesterday by the Control Yuan also pointed out that the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) field pesticide residue monitoring mechanism failed to promptly reflect test results, leading to over 80% of the produce being harvested before test results were available. The COA also failed to enforce regulations prohibiting the harvest of non-compliant produce, allowing contaminated fruits and vegetables to enter the market and be consumed. The Control Yuan yesterday passed a motion to censure the COA.
Investigating Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung and Yang Mei-ling noted that while residue limits have been set for 336 pesticides, the COA and the Department of Health can only test for 202 of them, leaving 134 pesticides unchecked. The COA and the Department of Health should enhance pesticide residue analysis methods and expand the range of detectable pesticides.
The censure motion stated that pesticide residue issues in fruits and vegetables have persisted in recent years. The COA established a pesticide residue sampling protocol, dispatching personnel to collect field samples before harvest and entrusting institutions to test for residues, with follow-up management or administrative penalties based on results.
According to COA data provided to the Control Yuan, pesticide residue testing takes about one to three weeks, while the entire process—from sampling in fields and collection sites to transportation, testing, and result completion—averages around 19 working days. Including the time to notify producers of non-compliant results, the process averages about 20 working days.
However, Cheng Jen-hung and Yang Mei-ling’s analysis of COA reports found that approximately 87% of produce had already been harvested before test results were available, indicating that the pesticide monitoring program failed to prevent contaminated fruits and vegetables from entering the market.
The Control Yuan members also noted that the COA is responsible for supervising local governments in conducting pesticide residue sampling, but local governments failed to penalize non-compliant producers as required by law, and the COA did not adequately oversee enforcement, constituting negligence.
Cheng and Yang further discovered that the COA’s pesticide monitoring program disproportionately sampled certified "Good Agricultural Practice" (GAP) produce groups and training classes compared to general farmers, failing to reflect actual production ratios or public dietary risks. This urgently requires review and improvement.
The Control Yuan members added that while domestic pesticide residue testing for agricultural products takes at least 15 working days, imported food pesticide residue testing, outsourced to private labs, takes only three working days—a significant discrepancy. The Department of Health should explore ways to shorten testing timelines to ensure food safety for the public.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E7……8% 8A% E5% B8% 82- 213000973. html;_ylt=AjXoOdHP4K_36lr_IjPy3wHgBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTFvY3ZjczUxBG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVFcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA01lZGlhSW5maW5pdGVCcm93c2VMaXN0;_ylg=X3oDMTNoajByZmdoBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMwNjA2MzM5MC01YTMzLTNlNmYtOTliNi01YjMwZTllZGIwZTEEcHN0Y2F0A.WBpeW6t3zphqvnmYLnlr7nl4UEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdlBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3