Continued lowering of acceptable residue limits could increase costs and leave some crops vulnerable to pests and disease, an industry advisor has warned.
EU attempts to harmonise maximum residue levels (MRLs) by the end of 2008 and reduce the number of permitted crop protection products from more than 1,000 to about 300, is likely to hit importers of exotic produce, said Martin Gibbard, who works with industry and retailers on assured produce schemes.
However, question marks also hang over the viability of some UK crops, he added.
"The main issue is whether there are enough active ingredients left to achieve what the food industry wants."
He said a preoccupation with driving down residue levels, many of which are now specified by retailers at well below statutory standards, could be dangerous.
"As analytical equipment becomes more sensitive in chasing pesticide residues to the 'nth degree we may miss more important things. Mycotoxins, for example, are much more damaging. Sometimes I wonder if people have backed the wrong horse."
Meanwhile, the UK's biggest fresh produce importers said they had ramped up investment in biological control programmes, anti-spoilage packaging, to reduce reliance on post-harvest sprays, and country-of-origin residue testing.
But Roland Levy, head of a pesticides initiative programme set up for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, said: "We have no MRLs for mango, papaya, passion fruit or okra, which means they will all be set at the default 0.01 microgrammes per kilo. Not a lot of produce corresponds to that. It's a big concern."