Chemical Safety Pesticides
The first EU rules on pesticides were adopted in 1976 which set maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides in fruit and vegetables. In 2005, a new EU regulation on residues of pesticides in food was adopted with the first aim to fully protect human and animal health and the environment. Since 1991, any active substance used in plant protection products must be specifically approved at EU level. Unless an active substance has been scientifically evaluated and approved at EU level, it cannot be used or sold in any Member State. In 2006, the European Commission proposed tightening these rules in a new Regulation on plant protection products. The main aims of the Regulation are to set up a stricter and more efficient authorisation procedure for active substances, enhance controls on the use of pesticides and reduce the amount of testing on animals. Around the same time that the new Regulation will enter into effect, the Commission will be completing an ambitious review of all old active substance. Over 1 000 active substances will have been evaluated by the time the review is over, and hundreds will be removed from the market.
Reference: 50 years of food safety in the European Union, ISBN 92-79-03827-3