Between 13 January and 25 April 2021, Europol coordinated the sixth edition of operation Silver Axe targeting the trade in counterfeit and illegal pesticides.
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The joint action involved law enforcement authorities from 35 countries (all 27 EU Member States and 8 third party countries). The global operation was supported by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Commission’s DG SANTE, the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) and CropLife Europe.
During the operation, law enforcement authorities targeted the sale of counterfeits, banned products and unregulated imports – both online and offline.
They carried out inspections on land and sea borders, inland marketplaces, parcel service providers and online marketplaces. The abuse in the trade of illegal pesticides varies from trafficking counterfeit or mislabelled products to irregular imports of banned substances such as chlorpyrifos, which was specifically targeted during Silver Axe VI. While Asia and South Asia remain the major source regions for illegal pesticides, Europol has noticed an increase in their online sale.
Silver Axe VI resulted in: 12 arrests (7 in Italy and 5 in Spain); 763 infringements reported; 268 seizures, including: 1 203 tonnes of illegal pesticides in total, including: 100 tonnes of counterfeit pesticides seized at seller, manufacturer and logistics companies; 82 tonnes of pesticides suspected of being counterfeited and currently under investigation.
The pesticide industry is highly regulated, and pesticides are among the most regulated products in the world. Unregulated substances can be extremely dangerous for the environment and human health. The use of cheaper illegal and substandard products has led to the devastation of fields and other ecosystems, which has caused serious harm to the world’s biggest pollinators: bees.
For example, a case during operational activities in the framework of Silver Axe IV uncovered how the unregulated use of neonicotinoid, contained in a non-approved product, led to the death of bees raised in the area. Although the trees that the product was used on did not have flowers, their leaves extracted sugar, attracting and poisoning the nearby bees.
EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain participated in the joint acction.
Third party countries included: Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States. ■