New research has uncovered that a traditional British Sunday roast dinner, complete with strawberries for dessert, is produced using a cocktail of more than 100 pesticides. Greenpeace investigators analysed data from the FERA Pesticide Usage Survey for vegetables commonly included in a Sunday roast, including onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, peas, swede, and turnips. They found 102 unique pesticides used across seven food categories.
Pesticide Use by Crop
The analysis revealed that onions and leeks are treated with 43 different types of pesticides, strawberries with 42, and carrots and parsnips with 40. Field potatoes receive 31 pesticide applications. Alarmingly, seven of the 102 pesticides are already banned in the European Union due to links to cancer and endocrine disruption in humans, as well as posing high risks to bees, birds, mammals, and aquatic ecosystems.
Health and Environmental Concerns
Nina Schrank, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, commented: "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. Three are classified as forever chemicals (PFAS).
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 but also pushing British wildlife and the 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 where they were found in the 1970s.
Call for Government Action
Schrank 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." She urged the government to properly back farmers and commit to halving pesticide use by 2030.
The government's current target for pesticide reduction by 2030 stands at 10%, while official figures show the total weight of pesticides on UK arable crops decreased by 25% between 2018 and 2024.
Industry and Campaigner Responses
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." He called for stronger support, regulation, and accountability across the system to help farmers reduce pesticide dependence.
Dale Vince, environment campaigner and founder of Ecotricity, stated: "An incredible finding - never mind the roast dinner - our fruit and veg is polluted with over 100 pesticides. Industrial farming is out of control. These chemicals are toxic not just to insects but to humans too. They should not be allowed in the food chain."
Government Response
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."
