Traditional Sunday roast dinners produced using cocktail of more than 100 pesticides, new research shows

A traditional British roast dinner followed by strawberries for dessert is produced using a cocktail of more than 100 pesticides, new analysis has found. Investigators for Greenpeace examined the data for vegetables commonly eaten as part of a Sunday roast including onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas, swede and turnips. Using FERA Pesticide Usage Survey data they found 102 unique pesticides used across seven food categories, with onions and leeks treated with 43 different types, strawberries treated with 42, and 40 used on carrots and parsnips. Field potatoes are treated with 31. Seven of the 102 pesticides are already banned in the EU due to their links to cancer and endocrine disruption in humans, as well as posing high risk to the health of bees, birds, mammals and aquatic ecosystems. Nina Schrank, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “A Sunday roast and strawberries might feel like one of the most natural and traditionally British meals imaginable but behind the scenes they’re produced using an astonishing cocktail of pesticides.” Of the nine most commonly used pesticides, eight are classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) - meaning they are toxic to humans, wildlife, or both and three are classified as forever chemicals (PFAS). As well as revealing the sheer variety of pesticides used in UK farming, the analysis also highlights the number of times these British staples are dosed across the growing season. All crops received multiple pesticide applications with many sprayed dozens of times. The findings are published in Greenpeace UK’s new report, Our Poisoned Land, which warns that intensive pesticide and fertiliser use is not only posing serious risks to human health, it’s also pushing British wildlife and our natural environment to the brink. Since 1966, Britain has lost over 19 million breeding birds, and more than half of UK butterfly species are now missing from areas they were found in the 1970s. Nina Schrank, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, added: “Our countryside is being drenched in pesticides, with devastating consequences for bees, birds, butterflies, rivers and the soil. "Fields that once hummed with wildlife are falling silent while agrochemical giants rake in enormous profits and farmers are trapped in a costly cycle of chemical dependency. That doesn’t strengthen food security - it makes it more fragile. Farmers are also under huge pressure from rising costs, climate shocks and volatile markets but some are already showing there’s another way. They’re reducing pesticide use and producing food alongside helping wildlife. If the government is serious about restoring nature and ensuring food security, it must properly back farmers and commit to halving pesticide use by 2030.” The government's current target for pesticide reduction by 2030 sits at 10%, while official figures show the total weight of pesticides in the UK on arable crops decreased by 25% between 2018 and 2024. Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), said: "Many people will doubtless be shocked to learn how extensive pesticide use is within our conventional farming system, but it doesn't have to be this way." Mr Lines said that supporting farmers with the transition can "significantly drive down pesticide use", but many have been locked into dependence on pesticides over generations because of Government policy and supply chain pressures. He said: "We need stronger support, regulation and accountability across the whole system to take the pressure off farmers to produce more and more food from their land, and instead support them to deliver food, nature protection and climate mitigation, all at the same time." Dale Vince, environment campaigner and founder of Ecotricity, said: "An incredible finding - never mind the roast dinner - our fruit and veg is polluted with over 100 pesticides. Industrial farming is out of control, we know these chemicals are toxic, that's why they are used - but they are toxic not just to insects, but to humans too. They should not be allowed in the food chain." An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: "We place strict limits on pesticide residue levels in food, which are set after rigorous risk assessments to make sure levels are safe for consumers. These limits apply to both food produced domestically and imported from other countries. "Our UK National Action Plan, published last year, sets out how we will support farmers, growers and other land managers to increase their use of sustainable practices to reduce potential harm from pesticides, while controlling pests and pesticide resistance effectively and protecting food security."