DuPont Backs EU Crackdown on Illegal Pesticides
14 December 2012 
DuPont said it fully supports recent comments made by the director of the European law enforcement agency Europol, Rob Wainwright, who said that it is important to tackle the growing trade in illegal and counterfeit pesticides.
“The trade in illegal and counterfeit pesticides is organized by highly sophisticated criminal networks. Criminals have developed complex global supply chains and exploit legal companies to camouflage their activities. It is important to tackle this growing crime especially because of possible health risks,” Wainwright said.
According to Europol, up to a quarter of all pesticides currently in circulation in some European Union member states are thought to come from the illegal pesticides market. The illegal trade represents over 10% of the total worldwide pesticides market, and is highly lucrative. A single shipment can net an unlawful profit of more than $1.3 million.
Wainwright’s comments were made following a recent conference held in Spain that was jointly organized by Europol and the European Commission, among other government bodies, and was attended by police, customs and regulatory enforcement officers from throughout the EU.
Tom McHale, Global Product Defense Manager at DuPont, said that the company is doing “all it can to help combat the growing problem of fake and illicit pesticides.
“Our entire organization is committed to stamping out this illegal and very costly activity. We always act upon any evidence we receive from our staff or our customers and engage the relevant authorities to take the appropriate action,” McHale said. “The use of fake or illicit pesticides could result in significant damage to farmers’ incomes and to the environment because these products have not been approved for use by regulatory authorities.”
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