CropLife International joins call for action on illicit pesticide e-commerce as new TRACIT report is launched at OECD

CropLife International joined calls for greater control measures and enforcement regarding the online sale of illicit pesticides, following the publication of a report by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade¹ (TRACIT) regarding counterfeit and illicit crop protection products on e-commerce platforms.

TRACIT’s report Tackling the Sale of Illicit Pesticides on E-Commerce Platforms will today be presented to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade, taking place in Paris. In it, researchers highlight the presence of counterfeit and illicit crop protection products across all major e-commerce platforms, and point to the large gap between the platforms’ stated policies, their enforcement, and how law makers are regulating online sales.

As the global association for the plant-science industry, CropLife International worked with TRACIT in the development of this report, and is committed to supporting their calls for implementation of the recommendations it contains. The association has been active in the fight against counterfeit pesticides for many years, most notably as an active partner in Operation Silver Axe², EUROPOL’s annual operation targeting counterfeit and illegal pesticides.

The pesticide industry is a highly regulated one, with pesticides counting amongst the most regulated products in the world. Counterfeit and illegal pesticides threaten human health, the environment and, potentially, farmer livelihoods. Like TRACIT, CropLife International is highly concerned by the prevalence of illicit products in burgeoning e-commerce markets. Chief amongst TRACIT’s recommendations to the e-commerce platforms are:

- Ensure sellers have a licence for sale of the pesticide

- Store such a licence for verification by regulators

- Ensure the pesticide for sale is registered in the country of intended use.

Said Emily Rees, President and CEO of CropLife International, ″TRACIT’s report highlights the clear need for ″Know Your Customer″ principles to be applied by e-commerce platforms for their online sellers of pesticides. This puts the spotlight on the platforms, legislators and regulatory bodies alike to step up and ensure that the purpose for which these products are designed – to nurture and protect agriculture – is not turned on its head through illegal activity on e-commerce. TRACIT has our full support, as do the governments, platforms and regulatory bodies in the implementation of the report recommendations.″

Jeffrey Hardy, Director General of TRACIT, said ″The OECD has the clear intention to help inform policymaking communities about ongoing and emerging challenges, and act as a facilitator in developing mechanisms to bridge governance gaps. Our report published today will form a cornerstone of this work. Our collaboration with CropLife around the world, and their determination to play an active role in safeguarding our shared future food security, can only be applauded. We look forward working alongside them to bring about tangible change″.

¹ Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade - Home (tracit.org)

² Operation Silver Axe VIII: 2 040 tons of fake or illegal pesticides seized - EUIPO (europa.eu)