Brussels, Belgium
November 24, 2008
Representatives of 17 European
countries called on the European Union to take urgent measures
to fight the rapid increase of fake and illegal pesticides. At
an international conference in Warsaw, 150 participants from
European enforcement and control authorities agreed that the
problem was increasing in many states, and that coordinated
action was needed.
The "2nd International Conference on Counterfeit Plant
Protection Products" was held in Warsaw on 13 November under the
auspices of the Polish Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki, and
jointly organized by the Polish State Plant Health, Seed
Inspection Service, PIORiN, with the Polish Crop Protection
Association (PSOR). The crop protection industry is actively
campaigning across Europe against illegal pesticides.
The conference reached 4 concrete conclusions:
- Fake pesticides harm
farmers, consumers and the environment. Further
investigation of the extent and impact of the problem is
urgently needed.
- The EU and the European
Commission must take a proactive "zero tolerance approach"
to fight fake pesticides.
- A coordination mechanism
should be set up at EU-level (governments, enforcement
authorities such as control authorities, police, customs
etc) to share information and best practice, and develop
common anti-counterfeit activities.
- Fighting counterfeit and
illegal pesticides must become an integral part of the EU
counterfeiting strategy.
The vice-Ministers of the Polish
Ministries of Agriculture and Economy emphasized the need to
mobilize all stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of
anti-counterfeit activities. Representatives of the global and
European plant protection industry informed the conference of
the latest anti-counterfeit efforts. The conference heard of the
explosion of cases of abuse of legitimate parallel trade.
Unscrupulous traders and criminal organisations were using the
cover of legitimate parallel trade to insert fake, false or
illegal substances during repackaging of parallel trade.
Enforcement and senior police officers from Poland, Spain,
Lithuania, Romania and Greece set out their national
anti-counterfeit activities. Other organisations and countries
present included the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI),
the head of the Spanish environmental police SEPRONA, Members of
the Polish Parliament, and representatives from Ukraine,
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain, Greece,
Romania and the United Kingdom. Representatives of the European
Commission were invited but not present.
Michal Fogg, head of the Polish Crop Protection Association and
conference co-host said: "The overwhelming interest from almost
all European countries in the issue confirmed what we already
knew - that the problem is increasing everywhere and that
concerted action is urgently needed. We are proud that in Poland
we are at the forefront of convincing the appropriate
departments and service, and now even countries, to work
together to protect farmers , consumers and the environment"
The European Crop Protection
Association (ECPA) represents the crop protection industry
interests at European level. Its members include all major
companies and national associations across Europe. |
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