Controlling pesticide and other residues in herbs and spices 57
∑ Start with clean plants and use pest resistant/tolerant species/varieties if available.
∑ Practise good sanitation in the production area based on good agricultural practices
(GAP), remove heavily infested material and clippings, eliminate weeds and pet
plants in and around the production area.∑ Use exclusion techniques such as screens and other physical barriers (‘no-thrips’
screen, bug bed environmental screening, econet – anti-insect net and others).
∑ Hand pick pests and/or use high-pressure water sprays (water-wand, jet-all or
others).
∑ Practise biological control methods including conservation of natural enemies
and augmentive releases (applications) of predators (predaceous mites, green
lacewing larvae and others), parasites (Encarsia and Trichogramma wasps and
others) and insect-predaceous nematodes (Bio-Safet™, Entonem®, Ecomaskn™,
Scanmaskn™, Larvanem® and others).Pest suppression approaches for herb production are often labour intensive and
expensive. The price of the final product must include the added cost of pest control.
Sharing information regarding registered products and their sources would be an
effective way.
Organic production is a system that uses a combination of management techniques
to maintain soil quality and fertility, and control weeds, pests and diseases. Crop
rotation plays a big role in achieving these goals. Conventional chemical fertilisers,
herbicides and pesticides are eliminated, although organic products are generally
allowed, subject to compliance with the organic standard. This system of agri-production
is a total way of controlling use of chemicals in agriculture. Of late, many organically
grown spices and herbs are readily available in the market. Organic agriculture is the
strictest of the environmentally sound agricultural practices. Its main focus is on
minimising environmental damage and on sustaining or building up soil fertility.
Organic agriculture is commonly perceived as refraining from the use of chemical
inputs, such as synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides or defoliants. More
environmentally sound alternatives are employed to replace chemicals, such as crop
rotation, particularly incorporating legumes, careful management and use of manure
and crop wastes, use of appropriate cultivation techniques, natural and biological
pest and disease control measures and mechanical and other non-chemical weed
control techniques. In many regions of the world, agricultural systems equivalent to
what is now defined as ‘organic’ farming have existed for centuries, especially in
third-world countries, where agriculture is often ‘organic by default’ as no money is
available to buy chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
The EU market for organic spices and herbs grew rapidly in the 1990s. There is
growing demand for organic spices and herbs in Europe. In order to make agricultural
products from organic sources easily recognisable to consumers, EU ‘organic’ labels
have been introduced. Organic production and labelling is covered by Council Regulation
(EEC) No 2092/91 as a means of providing consumers with a guarantee of origin,
preparation, processing, and packaging of products.
Each country should try to evolve a process to develop a regulated national standard,
that growers must follow. There are several organic certification organisations. The
standards of these organizations may vary, in part, due mainly to different interpretations
of products of restricted use. Consumers often interpret certified organic produce as
merely pesticide free but this is not the case. Organic pesticides may have been used
in some instances. Organic crops must always be produced according to accepted
guidelines of the organic standard being followed, including soil management practices.