Locally produced peaches were returned from the border with Croatia because they contained high levels of the pesticide chlorpyrifos.
The reported pesticide is banned in the EU, while in Serbia its use is allowed only by farmers who grow sugar beets.
The Serbian Agriculture Ministry said that the analysis of the sample of the disputed shipment is in progress.
Agricultural expert Milivoje Pavlović says that an analysis was probably carried out at the border because the use of chlorpyrifos has been banned in EU countries since 2019.
“A year ago, this chemical was allowed to be used in Serbia for the destruction of pests attacking plums and field crops. However, it is now banned in Serbia, except for spraying of sugar beet, because farmers do not have a solution against beet borer. The Ministry of Agriculture has specifically approved the import of this pesticide, but there is always the possibility that someone sprayed peaches and cherries with it, i.e. the fruit that they shouldn’t. Or that someone has leftover supplies of chlorpyrifos and did not want to throw it away,” explains Pavlović.
When asked what happens to the batches of fruit that have been returned, i.e. whether they will be destroyed or sold on the domestic market, Pavlović says: “As this pesticide is not banned for the use on fruit, which is the case in Serbia, it means that the peaches that have been returned from Croatia will certainly be destroyed.”
Back in 2019, the European Food Safety Agency expressed concern about possible genotoxic effects, as well as potential neurological effects when in contact with chlorpyrifos. These findings are supported by data that indicate the harmful effect of chlorpyrifos on children’s health.
This insecticide has been in use since the 1960s and in the meantime, numerous studies have proven a connection between chlorpyrifos and damage to human DNA, digestive disorders, the occurrence of cancer and male infertility.
(Biznis.rs, 16.08.2023)