Brussels, Belgium
June 18, 2008
The regional police in the Kursk
Oblast, Russia, have uncovered a major pesticide counterfeiting
facility, according to recent reports. The police raided
premises last week near the city of Kursk, where around 100
tonnes of counterfeit and illegal pesticide products were found
with an estimated market value of over 1 million Euros. Most of
the products are illegal copies of patented and branded products
from major legitimate global manufacturers and were pre-packed
into containers ready for commercial sale.
Adjacent to the warehouse the police uncovered equipment
designed to apply labels and stickers to the bottles, as well as
other packaging equipment. Initial examination of the symbols on
the seized product containers indicate that the products were
manufactured in China. There are also indications that the
transport routes to Kursk may be different for differing
consignments with some arriving by sea and others by road, and
some possibly running through an EU port.
Local industry representatives are working closely with the
police to gain a better understanding of the distribution
channels that led these products to Kursk and to determine their
final destination. Kursk is only about 100 kms from the Ukraine
boarder. There is a high likelihood that the products were also
destined for the Ukraine and then possibly into the EU.
"No one can be sure what these products contain" said Rocky
Rowe, Anti-counterfeit project leader for the
European Crop Protection Association, "Counterfeit and
illegal pesticide products are completely untested and can
contain toxic impurities and contaminants as well as dangerous
solvents and other materials. The criminals who manufacture and
distribute them have no scruples about the safety of farmers and
ultimately consumers and are there to make a quick profit at
everyone's expense."
This raid in Russia follows the major seizure in late 2006 at
the port of Odessa, Ukraine, where over 500 tonnes of
counterfeit and illegal pesticide products were seized, where
the case is still open and successful prosecution by a company
in Russia last year over illegal products seized in Altai
region.
Since 2006, ECPA has led a pan-European awareness campaign to
fight the increasing problem of fake pesticides. There are many
examples across many different European countries of this
dangerous and growing problem.
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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