Agrochemical products are applied to growing and stored cereals to ensure they are high yielding and high quality, providing the consumer with food that is both affordable and nutritious. Previously the EU set the limit of agrochemical residues that are legally permitted to be present in food, known as maximum residue limits (MRLs). Post-Brexit, the UK now has responsibility for setting these limits. MRLs are not safety limits and are usually well below the levels that could cause an unacceptable risk to human health. 

The Food Standards Agency has a policy to reduce all pesticide levels as far as is practical and certainly below MRL levels and this has been embraced by the UK agricultural industry.  UK flour mills only buy UK wheat that has been grown by assured farmers who are expected to appropriately apply agrochemicals in order to minimise their residual levels.