Should we heed warnings about food pesticides?

THE article about the alarming chemical cocktail sprayed on our fruit and veg did not mention the effects on rural residents (Mail). Health warnings for some chemicals used by UK farmers — the spray is corrosive to eyes, skin and lungs, it can be fatal if swallowed and enters airways — mean farmers wear protective clothing and masks, but rural communities have no protection. And what is the risk for children in schools and playgrounds near fields of crops being sprayed? The post-Brexit agricultural Bill provides an opportunity to adopt a non-chemical farming policy to protect rural communities, consumers, wildlife and pollinators. Poisons should never have a place in the air we breathe, the food we eat or the environment we live in. The chemical warfare in the countryside under the guise of conventional farming has to stop for the protection of us all. GeorGinA downS, uK pesticides campaign, chichester, w. Sussex. REPORTER Tom Rawstorne paints an alarmist view about pesticides, but the overall amount used on British produce has halved since 1990. The latest annual report by the independent Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food showed the majority of UK-produced food contained no pesticide residues. The UK has one of the most robust regulatory and monitoring systems in the world, controlling how pesticides are used and the levels of residues in food. All of the information about what farmers use on their crops and in what quantities is regularly and independently audited to ensure products are used safely. By law, farmers have to record everything they use and it has to be available for inspection by the Government. According to the Food Standards Agency, the best available science shows it is safe to consume food with pesticide residues at or below safety limits. People can rest assured that the British food they buy is produced to some of the highest standards in the world and is perfectly safe to eat.

Guy SMith, national farmers union vice president, Stoneleigh park, warks.