Australia authorities crack down on illegal insecticide product

Cooperative effort between the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and suburban Sydney councils has led to a major crackdown on stores selling unapproved insecticide baits.

With the active support and local knowledge of staff from Fairfield and Ashfield City Councils and Hornsby and Warringah Shire Councils, APVMA inspectors seized 6600 units of baits.

These seizures led to the issue of 26 compulsory notices requiring the recall and destruction of the products at considerable cost to the stores that had been selling them.

The products concerned - Miraculous insecticide Chalk and Wanhoualou Cockroach and Ant Bait - had been illegally imported into Australia.

"This action by the APVMA reflects its determination to ensure public safety by removing products from the market that have not been comprehensively assessed for their human health and environmental impacts," APVMA spokesperson Neville Matthew said today.

"It is disappointing to see people take chances with public safety and the APVMA will seek the support of the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions in prosecuting individuals or companies responsible for endangering the public through wide scale supply of unregistered or poorly labelled insecticide products,” Mr Matthew said.

"The APVMA is known within the agricultural community, however our work extends through to the domestic market. It is essential importers, wholesalers and distributors realise a significant obligation rests with them to only deal in registered chemical products.” Mr Matthew concluded.