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Pesticide Reduction

Our commitment

We’re committed to sourcing our products in a way that reduces our environmental impact and helps to preserve biodiversity; this is the basis of our pesticides policy.

our goals

Our goals

  • Working with industry and our wider supply chain, and through our Fresh Produce Prohibited and Restricted Pesticide Lists, we aim to phase out the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in our supply chains .
  • Supply into Lidl GB requires the responsible use of pesticides at all times. Among other requirements, we ask suppliers to action the principles of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).

Our approach

Policy scope

Our policy covers all pesticides used on fresh produce supplied to Lidl GB, unless otherwise stated.

Key areas of our policy include:

  • Following the principles of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Integrated Crop Management (ICM).
  • Engaging with customers.
  • Implementing a pesticide control policy.
  • Limiting any pesticide residues in food.
  • Acting transparently.

Read below to find out more.

   

Our pesticides policy

1) Following the principles of GAP and ICM

Adhering to GAP standard

We require all our fresh produce to be grown using the principles of GAP, a set of standards for safe and sustainable crop and livestock production. Our growers must have their production certified as compliant with a GAP standard such as Red Tractor or GLOBAL G.A.P. standard.

LEAF Marque and organic standards

All of our British fresh fruit and vegetables must be certified to either LEAF Marque or organic standards.

Our range of organic produce must be certified by an accredited UK organic certifier to recognised independent national and international organic standards.

Additional certifications

By 2025 international produce sourced from high risk areas must be certified to Global G.A.P. Spring and Global, G.A.P BioDiversity add-ons or equivalent standards and schemes.

Additionally, throughout our supply chain we support the use and principles of ICM - a system of crop production which conserves and enhances natural resources while producing food on an economically viable and sustainable foundation.

NFU fruit and veg pledge

We’re also proud to have signed the NFU fruit and veg pledge, committing to work in a sustainable way with all our growers. More information can be found here.

Ethical certification

Lidl requires growers to adhere to accredited social practices on the farm - specifically the GLOBAL G.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) as a minimum ethical requirement. GRASP is a voluntary module developed to address specific aspects of workers’ health, safety and welfare and help producers establish good social management system on their farms. For more information about the ethical standards we enforce to protect workers, please visit here.

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Case study: Dearnsdale Farm, our LEAF Marque-certified berry supplier

Reducing pesticides and protecting wildlife

  • Dearnsdale Farm grows plants such as asters across its fields to attract biological predators (e.g., parasitic wasps). The predators are later released into polytunnels to control crop pests like aphids.
  • To help lower the need for pesticides, the farm also chooses soft fruit varieties which tend to be more disease resistant.
  • Additionally, Dearnsdale Farm works closely with local beekeepers to set up beehives on the land. It has also grown hedgerows across the farm which act as wildlife corridors.
  • The farm reservoir is also a vibrant hub for wildlife such as mayflies and dragonflies, as well as fish and birds.

Saving water

  • Dearnsdale Farm recycles water from irrigation by collecting runoff from black tunnels and polytunnels, pumping this into its reservoir or nearby water courses.

Tackling carbon footprint

  • The farm audits its carbon usage annually. It also uses energy efficient heating plus solar panels in certain areas of the site such as the packhouse.
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2) Engaging with our customers

We’re committed to taking a proactive approach with our customers to informing and driving change in pesticide use. This includes promoting our commitment to rolling out LEAF Marque certification across our British fruit and veg supply base. Click on the below links for further information.

garden

We were the first discount retailer in the UK to ban high-risk chemical gardening products including weedkillers off our shelves in a move aimed at protecting wildlife and boosting nature. Instead, we offer our customers a range of products based on less harmful ingredients.

3) Limiting pesticide residues in food

We conduct a detailed risk-based pesticide monitoring programme covering all fresh produce and food items including dairy, meat, fish and wheat-based items.

Within this monitoring programme compliance is checked against not only legal requirements, but our stringent Lidl policies and Strategic List of Active Substances. All analysis is conducted by accredited ISO 17025 laboratories and then reviewed by our Quality Assurance team.

4) Pesticide control policy

Our aim is to offer high quality fresh produce free of pesticide residue. This is one of the reasons we have implemented an additional pesticide residue requirement in our Fruit and Vegetable Specification, the Strategic List of Active Substances.

The Strategic List of Active Substances details substances which must be avoided at all stages of production when growing Lidl products. The list was created by our expert technical committee consisting of representatives from agricultural production, cultivation consulting, quality assurance and laboratories on the basis of current research and practical experience. More information can be found in our pesticide policy and the list can be downloaded below:

Our strategic list of active substances

5) Acting transparently

We’re committed to publishing and reviewing our pesticides policy and our prohibited and restricted list periodically to ensure transparency and that they are up to date. We will continue to review best practice and engage with our supply chain and NGOs.

 

Our partners

We’re implementing our pesticide policy in collaboration with our supply chain, wider industry and through engagement with NGOs such as Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK).