If there was a face of the crop protection industry’s anti-counterfeiting movement, it would be D’Arcy Quinn, head of anti-counterfeiting at CropLife International.
When he’s not meeting with crop protection companies, regulators or legislators, Quinn is in the field examining the direct, harmful effects counterfeit crop protection products cause.
“All companies from industries with successful products are facing problems of counterfeiting. So, this is not limited to pesticides,” he says.
Quinn 一直在世界各地协助监管机构和当局追踪非法贸易，参观装满假冒产品的仓库，并教育包括生产商、船东和农民在内的供应链成员识别假冒或非法产品。
每年，数千吨假冒产品跨境，总计 5% 至 10% 在欧盟等市场的作物保护总销售额，或全球作物保护行业的 $4 亿。许多新兴市场的非法产品几乎占所有使用农药的一半。尽管由于难以衡量非法贸易量而没有官方估计，但欧盟和非欧盟当局在 2011 年查获了 2,500 多吨假冒产品，与 2010 年查获的 500 多吨相比有了显着增长，根据欧洲作物保护协会。
从 CropLife International 到六大作物保护公司的行业倡导者现在认识到越来越需要打击假冒和非法贸易。
虽然假冒或非法贸易似乎在印度、中国、非洲、乌克兰、巴拉圭、乌拉圭和俄罗斯最为普遍，但没有任何一个国家或地区需要承担责任，因为非法贸易的新渠道可以在任何地方开辟。
“Individual countries do not contribute to the trade of counterfeit pesticides, criminals do,” Quinn says. “We should not blame a country, as the source can shift. Countries that do not have strict import regulations and law enforcement tend to be the most susceptible to the import of counterfeit products.”
作物保护公司、政府和国家贸易组织正在共同努力，加强法规、改进政策并制定更严格、更明确的指导方针，以打击非法和假冒农药贸易。
修订条例
大约七年前，作物保护行业首次注意到假冒交易变得越来越普遍。
过去 7 年，巴斯夫产品的假冒案例有所增加，最常见的是二乐果、α-氯氰菊酯和氧唑菌。这些假冒产品的影响包括农作物毁坏、因错误的 AI 或低浓度或不含任何 AI 导致农作物受损，以及因假冒产品中禁用的惰性物质而对操作员的健康造成潜在危害。
BASF Crop Protection 供应链管理总监 Detlef Doehnert 博士说，一个关键的成功因素是海关执法和法规变化。
“The revision of Regulation (EC) No 1383/2003, the EU legislation on transit goods, is a step in the right direction,” he says.
第 1383/2003 号条例涉及海关对涉嫌侵犯某些知识产权的商品采取的行动、海关当局执行该条例的权利以及发现假冒商品时采取的措施。
一个主要问题源于船舶公司缺乏问责制。
奎因说，接收假冒产品的国家需要更加积极地在目的地国家追查假冒产品。
拜耳作物科学作物保护和环境科学发言人 Utz Klages 说，专利权和执法也需要审查。
“Strong patent protection is a requisite for a long-standing commitment to innovation,” he says.
拜耳作物科学成立了一个与国家和国际权威机构合作的产品防御团队，该团队已查获大量假冒产品
国家的数量。
该公司还与航运公司合作，参与对货运和发货人/收货人的密切检查。
Klages 回应了围绕船舶公司的其他态度。他说，航运公司、航空公司和货运代理等运输公司需要通过尽职调查来承担责任，以避免将非法货物从已知的假冒生产商运送到欧盟已知的这些非法货物的接收方。
“Customs and other law enforcement authorities need to be empowered to address false and intentional false declarations of shipments besides pure intellectual property infringements, even if shipments of illegal pesticides are supposedly ‘in transit’ through Europe,” Klages says.
最终用户
如果无法阻止假冒作物保护产品进入某个国家/地区，则由农民和种植者决定哪些产品是合法的。
“Counterfeits negatively impact all industries, but the cost of using counterfeit and illegal pesticides has a potential negative impact on farmers,” Quinn says. “If farmers suffer any loss or damage of crops from the use of counterfeit products, they have no legitimate company to turn to for advice and support.”
Klages 说，拜耳作物科学开发的一种新包装设计旨在将普通工业包装转变为拜耳特有的防伪包装。
巴斯夫采用技术手段对巴斯夫产品进行认证，例如标记技术和产品内在特性，Doehnert 博士说。
“Marker technologies and product intrinsic characteristics are part of a comprehensive concept to protect the products and product users,” he says. “The concept also includes activities like public information and training sessions for customs authorities. All additional measures are flexible and tailored to local market needs.”
此外，欧洲作物保护协会和 CropLife International 一直在开展合作，为经销商、农民和政府机构提供培训，以识别假冒和非法的作物保护产品。
“It is impossible to accurately measure an illegal activity. What we are aware of is that seizures of counterfeit pesticides in the EU are growing,” Quinn says. “All companies with a counterfeit problem need to work with customs and law enforcement officials to stop counterfeit products from entering the country. They also need to raise awareness with the entire value chain and especially with potential end users.”