A new test has been launched by Eurofins Agro UK to help potato growers with pesticide residue testing. The test can be booked online and comes at a time when some farm assurance schemes have implemented the need to test every year, or to have an evidence-based justification for fewer tests.

The potato industry is expected to make significant changes to the way potatoes are stored after the loss of approval for chlorpropham (CIPC).  This may include the use of other chemicals like maleic hydrazide and 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene. Farm assurance schemes are keen to see crops tested for potential residues to prevent chemicals being transferred to the food chain.

Eurofins Agro offers a UKAS accredited pesticide residue test for potatoes which costs £160 per one kilo sample. Sophie Cath, from Eurofins Agro UK, says:

“The tests can be booked and paid for online, and results from samples that are sent directly to our laboratory take between three and four weeks.”

The regulation of residues uses the system of statutory Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). These represent the maximum safe amounts of residue likely to remain in food products when a pesticide has been used correctly by growers adhering to good agricultural practice (GAP). 

“By using our tests, growers will receive vital data to ensure products are fit for purpose and will be able to provide evidence to regulators and consumers that potatoes are safe by demonstrating that any residues present are below regulatory limits, or MRLs,” adds Miss Cath.