The export of peas to Japan is an important and developing part of UK pulse trading. For the past 30 years, Japanese food manufacturers have used the highest quality UK marrowfats for the manufacture of a range of snack products and this has contributed to the payment of substantial quality premiums to growers.

Japanese food manufacturers are now very concerned about the possibility of lead shot contaminating pea samples. This obviously originates from pest control operations and while farmers have to protect their crops from pigeons and other birds they should also be mindful of the impact of lead shot as a crop contaminant.

Some cleaners can remove non ferrous metal from pea crops, but with Japanese users moving towards zero tolerance for this factor, this is a major concern to the pulse trade.

Please bear this in mind during pest control operations as peas move towards harvest.