Ecological Agriculture and Pesticide Free Apples Activity in Slovakia

Greenpeace tested 126 apple samples, of which 109 were conventionally produced and the remainder organic. The apples were purchased from 23 supermarket chains, and tested by an independent laboratory for a broad range of pesticide residues.

While all organic apples tested are free of pesticides, 83% of the tested conventional apples were contaminated with pesticide residues – with 60% containing two or more substances. Half of the pesticides found are known to be toxic to aquatic organisms, like water fleas and fish, or to bees and other beneficial insects.

The apples were purchased in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland and originate from national production. This Greenpeace analysis confirms the results obtained from water and soil samples taken earlier this year in apple plantations all across Europe, where many pesticide residue cocktails were found.