Year 2024

World Anti-Counterfeiting Day: Safeguarding Our Agriculture and Health

As we observe World Anti-Counterfeiting Day on June 10th, the Malaysian CropLife & Public Health Association (MCPA) reaffirms its strong stance against the illegal including counterfeiting of crop protection products and household insecticides. Illegal agrochemicals include obsolete, banned or unauthorized pesticides; untested, unregulated, or unlicensed pesticides; unauthorized imports; counterfeit and fake pesticides; relabelled or mislabelled pesticides; and refilled pesticides containers.1 The illegal production and distribution of these essential products pose significant risks to our industry, farmers, consumers, and the environment.

Our Commitment

MCPA and its members provide and managing advanced plant science and public health technologies. We work tirelessly with Malaysian law enforcement agencies to ensure that only legally registered and authentic plant science technologies are available in the market. Our mission is to ensure these technologies are traded and used safely and responsibly. The Dangers of Unregistered Counterfeit Pesticides

The Dangers of Unregistered Counterfeit Pesticides

Unregistered Counterfeit pesticides present numerous threats across various sectors:

ENVIRONMENT: Counterfeit and illegal pesticides, often with unknown ingredients, are not tested for environmental safety. In contrast, legal pesticides undergo extensive testing to prove their safety for wildlife and the environment before being approved by regulatory authorities.

HEALTH: Illegal pesticides pose a risk to the health of farm workers during the application of the product, and medical treatment when exposed to unknown chemicals can be problematic for medical professionals and poison information centres.

ECONOMY: Counterfeit pesticides disrupt investment, employment, innovation, and tax revenues. If a region or country is known for using counterfeit pesticides, it may become difficult for them to export their crops, putting both their reputation and economic security at risk.

REGULATORY: Anecdotal evidence shows that banning pesticides does not remove their availability, but rather creates an illegal black market for the banned pesticide, especially where governance to manage the ban is weak, providing organized crime an opportunity to sell dangerous, untested illegal banned pesticides to farmers.

FARMER LIVELIHOODS: The use of illegal pesticides can lead to economic ruin for farmers, including potential loss of harvest due to ineffective or harmful counterfeit products.

The E-Commerce Challenge

The trade of illicit pesticides on e-commerce platforms is a growing concern. A recent report by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT) highlights the scale of this issue, showing how criminals exploit vulnerabilities in e-commerce operations to sell illegal pesticides. The report provides examples of illicit pesticide listings on major e-commerce platforms globally, emphasizing the need for stricter regulations and enforcement.

Call to Action

Together, we can combat the threat of unregistered counterfeit pesticides and ensure a safer, healthier future for all. By raising awareness and acting against unregistered counterfeit products, we protect our communities, environment, and the integrity of our agricultural industry. Join MCPA in advocating for stricter enforcement and safer practices this World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. Let’s work together to ensure that only safe, effective, and legal crop protection products are available, safeguarding our health, environment, and economy. For more information on how you can help, visit our website, or contact us directly. Let’s make a difference today for a better tomorrow.

 

NOTES
1 UNICRI. (2016). Illicit Pesticides, Organized Crime, and Supply Chain Integrity. Torino: UNICRI. http://www.unicri.it/in_focus/files/The_problem_of_illicit_pesticides_low_res1.pdf ; Agarwal, M. & Garg, S. (2015). Study on Sub-Standard,Spurious/ Counterfeit Pesticides in India 2015 – Report. n.p.:FICCI. http://ficci.in/spdocument/20641/Pestiside-Report.pdf

 

Year 2021

World Anti-Counterfeiting Day

In conjunction with 10th Jun, World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, the Malaysian CropLife & Public Health Association (MCPA) would like to take this opportunity to share quick tips with farmers to alert about counterfeited and unregistered pesticides. Counterfeit and illegal pesticides is a growing problem for the agriculture and public health industry, having negative effects on farmers, manufacturers, national economies, and the environment alike. It is not only found on traditional markets but also on e-commerce where trading becomes more convenient.

MCPA works to raise awareness and farmer education in combating illegal sale and distribution of unregistered pesticides. Herewith our latest infographic advising farmers three questions to ask every time they purchase pesticides empowering the farmer to insist they purchase legally registered pesticides.

For any questions on counterfeit and unregistered pesticides, please contact the authority i.e., Pesticides & Fertilizers Control Division, Department of Agriculture Malaysia at +603-2030 1400 or email to enforce.bkrpb@doa.gov.my.