Farmers Push Back on Apple Pesticide Safety Claim

Growers in Luxembourg are pushing back strongly against recent claims that apples grown in the country may be unsafe due to pesticide residues. A European study found multiple pesticide traces in apples sold across the EU, including samples from Luxembourg, which raised concerns about what some activists call a “pesticide cocktail.”

Jean-Claude Müller, president of Luxembourg’s National Fruit Growers’ Association, said the claims are misleading and unfairly paint local growers as dangerous. He stressed that the detected residues are well below legal safety limits set by EU authorities and that modern testing methods can find tiny traces that don’t pose health risks.

Environmental organisations, like the Mouvement écologique, argue that even low levels of different pesticides combined could have long-term effects, especially on children, and want more action to reduce chemical use. They also highlighted that apples from several European countries showed multiple residues in the study. 

Government officials and food safety authorities have reassured the public that Luxembourg apples are safe to eat and regularly tested, with no samples exceeding official limits over many years. They also note that initiatives such as integrated pest management are helping reduce chemical use in orchards.

The debate reflects wider European discussions about how best to balance agricultural production with public health concerns, as regulators consider updated approaches for evaluating mixtures of pesticide residues. 

👉 Read more: https://www.freshplaza.com/europe/article/9809372/luxembourg-growers-dispute-apple-pesticide-risk-claims/

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