FruitVeB spoke up: here is the reaction to the apple scandal that erupted in recent days

Published Feb 2, 2026

Tridge summary

In a statement by the FruitVeB Magyar Zöldség-Gyümölcs Szakmaközi Szervezet és Terméktanács (FruitVeB), it was indicated that on January 29, 2026, a report by the organization named "Pesticide Action Network Europe" (PAN Europe) appeared on the website of the Hungarian Society for the Protection of Nature (MTVSZ), which, based on its own investigations, contains - according to the organization's firm opinion - exaggerated, unfounded, and far from objective, professional, and scientifically substantiated findings about apples, which are capable of damaging credibility. FruitVeB rejected these findings on behalf of all Hungarian - and indeed all European - apple growers. As they wrote, the rapid spread of the news could not be stopped, but they will seize every possible professional and legal means to defend the honor of honest apple growers. At the same time, they announced that they will do everything to ensure that those who cause harm to their professional community are condemned by the appropriate bodies, as stated on the FruitVeB website.

Original content

It is unavoidable that the production of apples - as well as almost all plant products - requires the use of plant protection products (Latin: pesticides) because, in addition to the damage caused by pathogens and pests, it is impossible to produce fruit or almost any plant product without "plant medicines". However, modern, precision-based, predictive, and rational plant protection with contemporary tools results in significantly fewer chemical residues in the final product compared to decades ago. Moreover, over the past twenty years, most active ingredients that posed any danger to human health or the environment have been withdrawn from circulation. These have been replaced by biological preparations and procedures in integrated plant protection technologies, which have also significantly reduced the use of plant protection products in general, including in apples. A good example of this is the pheromone air distribution method for apple moth protection, which solves the ...

Source: Agronaplo