Crop Protection

Pesticides are plant protection products that are intended to protect plants or products from harmful organisms. In this way, they also act as growth regulators and destroy unwanted plants or parts of plants or inhibit their undesired reproduction. The collective term “pesticides” refers to all plant protection products such as insecticides, fungicides, acaricides (to control mites) and herbicides. Fungicides are used to kill fungi, the toxic effect of which is increased by the addition of heavy metals. Herbicides cause the destruction of weeds and are very dangerous to the environment because they are applied in very large quantities. To eliminate weeds, the herbicides must have an exceedingly corrosive effect. The chance of leaving crops undamaged is thus very small. Insecticides represent nerve agents that are designed to harm the insect. Insecticides are highly fat soluble and accumulate in body fat. By consuming the body fat of animals, creatures at the bottom of the food chain – including humans – ingest relatively large amounts of these substances and are thus exposed to particularly high doses. Indeed, within the food chain, food is increasingly enriched with pollutants through its long journey from the farmland to the consumer. Due to their slow degradation, residues are also to be expected in plant-based foods and pose an increased risk to humans. The active ingredients of insecticides are absorbed via the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract or by touch. Irritation of the skin and respiratory tract, asthma, headaches, nerve damage – convulsions, paralysis, coma -, visual and walking disorders, cardiac arrhythmias, tumor diseases, genetic damage, and damage to the liver and kidneys may occur. Due to poor soil conditions or increased pest infestation, crop protection products are used in excessive doses in order to keep yields as high as possible. However, improper application of pesticides results in the opposite. Due to the high supply of chemicals, the plant’s metabolic processes are disrupted. Severe growth and functional disorders of the individual organs, wilting symptoms and discoloration of the plant are the consequences. Such impairments also affect the sensitive nutrients and vital substances (micronutrients) contained in the plant. Weakened plants also fall victim to diseases and pests more quickly. The plant treatment products applied to the fields are only partially absorbed by the plants. Parts of it can be detected in streams and rivers, contributing to fish mortality – dead rivers. Pesticide residues in the soil endanger drinking water. When it rains too hard, the soil can no longer absorb the liquid and surface runoff occurs, washing the pesticides into waterways. Other parts of the pesticides are absorbed by free-living wildlife, which can lead to the extinction of beneficial insects. Due to the excessive use of pesticides, residues in food are hardly avoidable and thus detectable in the ready-to-eat food. They are found in both plant and animal foods because the plant absorbs the contaminants through the soil and the animals through the plants sprayed with pesticides. According to the results of the “National Reporting on Plant Protection Products” for 2003, the proportion of foodstuffs contaminated with residues has increased in comparison with previous years. Accordingly, in 2003, pesticide residues were detected in 57.1% of the samples examined – including fruit, vegetables and cereals. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 5.2%. Among the fruits and vegetables, lettuce, peppers, pears, peaches and table grapes were the most heavily contaminated. Meat, meat products, dairy products and staple foods such as cereals and potatoes, on the other hand, showed only minor levels of pesticide residues. In addition to the improper use of pesticides, the increase in global trade in fruit, vegetables, cereals and food of animal origin could also be responsible for the rise in contaminated food.Results from the Federal Republic of Germany The following table contains the results of tests carried out in 2003 on foodstuffs of animal origin, fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables and cereals – including the results of the coordinated monitoring program of the European Community (CRP) based on Directives 86/362/EEC and 90/642/EEC to ensure compliance with maximum pesticide residue levels on and in cereals and certain other products of plant origin. All data from the sampling period 01/01/2003 to 12/31/2003 were included.

Residues of pesticides affect food quality and burden and damage our organism. Phenomena such as malaise, fatigue, irritability, headaches, digestive disorders, joint and muscle complaints up to chronic diseases, some of which are untreatable or difficult to treat, such as atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries), tumor diseases and lung diseases can be the result.