EU operations find harm from counterfeit pesticides

Two separate enforcement operations have taken the fight to criminals trafficking illegal pesticides in the EU.

The first operation was carried out against a company importing counterfeit pesticides from Asia that were "replicating the products of a well-known multinational company," according to Europol, which supported both investigations.

The fake pesticides were replicas of genuine products but contained larger quantities of the active ingredient lambda-cyhalothrin, which was banned in the EU four years ago. The criminal network operated in Italy and Romania, illegally importing fake or banned products from China and Singapore, selling them as bio or organic fertilisers and pesticides.

Raids carried out in Italy and Romania last month resulted in one arrest and uncovered evidence of large-scale fraud, forgery and tax evasion, according to Europol.

A second operation targeted a Spanish company illegally importing pesticides from Portugal that are banned in Spain as well as many other EU countries, using falsified documentation, and selling them on the black market. It is thought that around 12 tonnes of the pesticides were imported in this way, giving the people behind the activity a potential illegal turnover of up to €7m.

Testing revealed that pesticides contained illegal substances, including chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide which has been banned in the EU since 2020.

The banned pesticides were used in different farming facilities, some of which were located in protected areas such as the Doñana National Park, raising the risk of serious damage to habitat, wetlands and underground water reserves.

Counterfeit pesticides contain chemicals that are either banned or restricted in the EU due to the potential risks they may pose and are not authorised for sale by authorities.

Along with environmental damage and potential harm to consumers, they can lead to crop failures and sometimes contain toxic or flammable ingredients that can make even transport unsafe, according to the European Crop Care Association (ECCA) industry body.

Image by zefe wu from Pixabay