CIPC Residues Monitoring Group

CIPC Residues Monitoring Group for the UK potato industry

 NEWS RELEASE

In 2024, the CIPC Residues Monitoring Group submitted 102 residue data results from potato samples held in stores during 2023/24. The stores had been previously treated with CIPC (chlorpropham) at some time in their history.

These data were voluntarily submitted to the Group, on an anonymous basis, in answer to a request to the potato industry for information from the Health & Safety Executive to allow the suitability of the new temporary maximum residue level for CIPC to be assessed. A graphical summary of the data is shown in Figure 1.

The graph shows a high number of residues (78) which are at or below the Limit of Detection (LoD, 0.01 mg/kg, denoted by the green symbols). There was one exceedance of the tMRL (red symbol).

The remaining 23 samples (blue symbols) were at a level which exceeded the LoD but not the temporary MRL (tMRL, 0.35 mg/kg). These are the important samples here as they represent data from stores where there is still sufficient CIPC present to exceed the LoD but the levels are comfortably within the tMRL. If the tMRL had not been put in place, the samples from the 22.5% of stores shown in blue would have resulted in exceedances.

It is important for industry to continue to supply monitoring data to retain the temporary MRL. HSE will then continue to oversee this to ensure the tMRL is set at an appropriate level.

Just One Test is all CRMG needs from each potato store previously treated at any time with CIPC. If you have such stores, where crops are held for at least two months in the 2024/25 season, please provide data from your regular multi-residue testing to allow this to be used as part of the CRMG submission to be submitted in August 2025. We require 125 samples for the next data call, so new contributors are always welcome.

If you can help, please contact adrian@potatostorageinsight.com and you will be sent a simple data form to return with a copy of your lab result sheet. It’s as simple as that – but a vital role potato store managers can play to assist our industry.

CIPC Residues Monitoring Group                                                                                                

funded through a grant from AHDB, utilising remaining potato levy funds

Secretariat: UK Potato Processors’ Association Ltd

10 Bloomsbury Way, London, WC1A 2SL, United Kingdom.

andrew@ppauk.org                                                                                                               JOTNR-2025/1