A real problem for the EU: fake ag chemicals

Evidently, the European Union (EU) has bigger problems – in terms of food and crop safety – than whatever traces of unapproved GMO rice happen to slip into the market from the U.S. or China.

Writing in the magazine Chemistry & Industry (C&I), Cath O'Driscoll reports that more than one in 20 pesticides sold in the EU could be fake.

“These counterfeits range from sophisticated copies of patented products to low-quality fakes with little or no resemblance to the original,” noted a press release from the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), which publishes C&I. “And it is a problem that is getting worse every year, according to the European Crop Protection Association. “Clearly there are risks when products that have not been properly studied or evaluated are being brought onto the market,” said Roger Doig, President of the ECPA.

According to the release:

• Several recent incidences highlight the extent of the problem. In February, a counterfeit herbicide used in Italy was found to contain quantities of a “potentially dangerous insecticide.” In 2004, hundreds of hectares of wheat were wiped out in France, Italy and Spain because of a fake herbicide.
• A 2002 study of supermarket produce in the UK found traces of eight "illegal and potentially dangerous compounds."

“Generally speaking, it would be wrong to blame farmers (for buying the products) as in many cases they firmly believe they are buying legitimate products. We've had cases where only after farmers have come to us with a complaint have we identified the product as counterfeit,” says Doig.

The United Kingdom’s Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is currently investigating two companies suspected of acting illegally, it was reported. Jean Train, spokesperson for the Pesticides Safety Directorate, told C&I: "We are in the process of gathering evidence with intention to prosecute." Twenty-four companies were issued warnings in October at the British Crop Protection Conference in Glasgow for illegally promoting products.

But Peter Sanguinetti, CEO of the UK Crop Protection Association (CPA) pointed out that the UK is ahead of the game. Counterfeit products account for 3% of the UK market, compared to 5-7% in the EU. “The CPA actively encourages enforcements to prevent illegal imports. We recommend that farmers buy pesticides from a reliable source. CPA members sign a code of practice,” he says.