II International Conference for II International Conference for European Enforcement European Enforcement

AuthoritiesAuthorities

Counterfeiting and illegal Counterfeiting and illegal trafficking of plant protection trafficking of plant protection

products in Europeproducts in Europe

• Illegal Managing PPPs is a world wide problem, with connections between Regions, Countries and even Continents.

• In Spain trade and use of PPPs can be considered as a criminal fault when it is illegal and may mean a risk for environment or human health. In case it is not assumed as a risk, Administrative Authorities can award their own penalties.

LA RIOJA

NAVARRA

BALEARES

CEUTA MELILLA

GALICIA

ASTURIAS

CASTILLA Y LEÓN

CANTABRIA

ARAGÓNCATALUÑA

MADRID

EXTREMADURACASTILLA-LA MANCHA

VALENCIA

AndaluciaMurcia

Canarias

• Major problem in Spain means intensive farming under plastic covers.

• This industries are the main consumers of this products, legal and illegally.

• South Eastern Spain is the area where this activity is more intense.

• MARM – Ministry of Environment, and Rural and Marine Areas.

• Autonomous Regions´ Governments.

• Courts

o Guardia Civil Police Corps.

ADMINISTRATIVEAUTHORITIES –

CC.AA.

GUARDIA CIVIL

MARM

JUDGE

Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria

• Guardia Civil is the police corps with full responsibility on surveillance and fighting illegal activities related to environment in Spain.

• SEPRONA is a special unit in Guardia Civil, created in 1988 to provide this corps with specialists in environmental crimes and other infringements.

• SEPRONA - Environmental Protection Service - consists of about 1.700 police officers dealing with about 150.000 activities every year, mostly administrative infringements (145.000), but as a result of the rest of the 5.000 criminal infringements more than 1.000 people are arrested every year.

SEPRONA HEADQUARTERS

GUARDIA CIVIL RESPONSIBILITIES(NATURE / ENVIRONMENT)

SEPR

ON

A

HEA

DQ

UA

RTER

S

CENTRAL LABORATORY for Environmental

analysis

GUARDIA CIVIL RESPONSIBILITIES(NATURE / ENVIRONMENT)

SEPR

ON

A

HEA

DQ

UA

RTER

S

MOLINO PLANETARIO

VALORADOR DE KARL FISCHER

CROMATÓGRAFO DE LÍQUIDOS

DIGESTOR POR MICROONDAS

CENTRAL LABORATORY for Environmental

analysis

GUARDIA CIVIL RESPONSIBILITIES(NATURE / ENVIRONMENT)

SEPR

ON

A

HEA

DQ

UA

RTER

S

MULTIPARAMÉTRICOS

UNITS EQUIPMENT for Environmental analysis

GUARDIA CIVIL RESPONSIBILITIES(NATURE / ENVIRONMENT)

SEPR

ON

A

HEA

DQ

UA

RTER

SCAPTADOR

SECUENCIAL DE COMPUESTOS

VOLÁTILES

• Main actions against Plant Protection Products illegal use and trade in Spain are:

• In 2004 a PPP manufactured in a European Community Country and distributed by a company from another European country damaged, at least, some Spanish, French and Portuguese crops.

• The counterfeit product feigned Du Pont´s Titus.

• Spain began criminal investigations over it and reciprocal cooperation trough EUROPOL was held between Spain and France.

• On December the 27th, 2006, Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed passed on an alert about peppers coming from Spain showing high levels of an insecticide (isophenfos methil ), forbidden in all EC members.

• Eight months before SEPRONA in Almeria detected and finally intercepted half of the illegal product coming from China (A-2 Plus). The other half was known to have been delivered through Barcelona, but SEPRONA couldn´t manage to intercept it before being sold.

• The alert activated all Administrations´ plans to prevent any illegal substance to be used again. That plans included intensifying inspections made by SEPRONA.

• As a result of it half of the production in south eastern Spain has become PPP free and new biologic control techniques are been used instead of PPPs.

• This techniques extend at a very high rate all around Spain and are the near certain future for agriculture.

• By means of a routine inspection a product (Kuas ) was known to be made up of an illegal substance (nitempyram). A manufacturer sold it under legal appearance and was widely distributed all around Spain.

• SEPRONA began inspections trying to find out where all this product had been sold and finally managed to recover most of it and arrested three people involved.

• Some of this actions against plant protection products deserved a relevant media coverage in Spain.

DIFFICULTIES:

Rural environments Lack of knowledge of personnel

involved New products vs. Laboratory

analysiso Conclusion: Farmers and dealers may consider us enemies to their interests

FUTURE CHALLENGES:

Aware farmers of risks of illegal products

Improve personnel formation Intensify inspections on distributors Develop new laboratory technologies Boost existing tools for transmitting

information