Western Australian company fined for breaching pesticide laws

Date:12-01-2010

A Western Australian chemical import and distribution company was fined on Friday 26 November for a serious breach of the Australian agricultural and veterinary chemical laws.

Gemax Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to the importation of an unregistered agricultural chemical product and was fined $10,000. Gemax was also ordered to pay substantial additional costs incurred by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for chemical analysis.

The court found that Gemax Pty Ltd had illegally imported a fungicide product that contained a higher concentration of the active constituent than had previously been assessed and approved by the experts at the APVMA.

Agricultural chemical products imported into Australia must satisfy strict safety requirements before they are permitted to be used,’ Mr Neville Matthew, spokesperson for the APVMA said today.

The APVMA is actively monitoring compliance with agencies at all levels of government.’

The APVMA makes no apologies for taking strong action against companies who take chances with unregistered chemical products,’ Mr Matthew said.

Importation of an unregistered agricultural product is an offence and the APVMA will not consent to importation unless the imported material will be used lawfully within Australia.

"We encourage anyone with information about the sale of unregistered agricultural chemicals or veterinary medicines to call our compliance hotline on 1300 700 315 (Monday to Friday) during normal office hours,” Mr Matthew said.