Greenpeace: 102 pesticides, 7 EU-banned, on UK roast veg
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- Greenpeace, citing 2024 Fera pesticide usage survey data, identified 102 pesticides used across seven vegetable and soft fruit categories typical of a Sunday roast, including seven substances banned in the EU.
- Benthiavalicarb, a potato fungicide banned in the EU because it causes cancer, was among the chemicals named, alongside the herbicide metribuzin (banned as an endocrine disruptor) and the carrot insecticide spirotetramat, which Greenpeace says can kill bees and fish.
- Strawberries were identified as routinely treated with clofentezine, dimethomorph and mepanipyrim — all EU-banned endocrine disruptors — while peas often received the herbicide S-metolachlor, which the report links to groundwater contamination and risks to mammals.
- Greenpeace is calling for a 50% cut in pesticide use, impact and toxicity by 2030, plus realignment with EU standards and a ban on imports grown with unlicensed pesticides, in contrast to the UK government's 10% reduction target.
- The National Farmers' Union said the chemicals are "among the most highly regulated chemical products in the world" and warned crop yields could fall by up to 50% without them, preferring the term "plant protection products."
- Guy Singh-Watson, founder of organic veg box company Riverford, said UK farming is stuck on a "chemical treadmill" and argued there is "no such thing as a safe chemical pesticide" because they are designed to kill.
Why it matters: The report frames a direct policy clash: Greenpeace wants UK pesticide use cut 50% by 2030 with EU realignment, while the NFU argues the alternative is a 50% yield collapse. Defra's residue limits defend consumer safety on a single-chemical basis, but the report — and organic farmer Guy Singh-Watson — argue repeated exposure to chemical cocktails is the unaddressed risk.
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