Baden-Württemberg presented the results of the latest eco-monitor last Friday. The eco-monitor is a control program that tests organic food on wanted and unwanted ingredients and examines and compares the values with those of conventionally produced food. The Chairman of the Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW), Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, commented:
"This year the new test results of the Baden-Württemberg eco-monitor show once more, that organic foods are the safest on the market. Because organic farmers don’t use chemical pesticides, their produce is almost completely uncontaminated with pesticides. The difference is particularly clear in vegetables: organic vegetables have on average of 320 times less pesticide residue than conventional produce.
The results prove once again that the organic certification provides consumers with the highest security. The clean farming process in which the organic farmers rely on crop rotation, variety of species and ecological crop protection, lead to a high and organic quality in the final product.
Although almost all organic products have no chemical pesticides residue, it cannot be ruled out that pesticide traces cannot be found on organic products. As long as the majority of the agriculture is based on the use of agricultural chemicals, pesticide residues can be found throughout our environment.
The results of eco-monitor also show that the European legislation concerning organic produces should be heading in a different way. The EU member states, which demanded this week at the EU Agriculture Council that organic farmers should be liable for the pesticide use of their conventional neighbours, are on the wrong track. This requirement would mean the end of organic farming in Europe. They should demand an organic certification system that is proven and reliable.”
Background
Since 2002 the state of Baden-Württemberg has a special monitoring program for organic food. The results of the eco-monitor, in German, can be found at: http://oekomonitoring.cvuas.de/aktuelles.html.
Source: www.boelw.de