The Fight Against Product Counterfeiting And Illegal Products
Combating illegal actors to ensure quality and safety for our customers
The growth of counterfeit and illegal goods poses a serious problem for agrochemicals. Counterfeit and illegal agro-chemicals come in many forms: they can be poor quality by containing untested impurities or may also contain non-approved active substances or materials. This can pose a risk to human health and the environment. In addition, such products represent economic damage and threaten agriculture’s ability to provide safe and healthy food in sufficient quantities.
Our objective and motivation at BASF Crop Protection is to support farmers in managing a successful and sustainable business. Every year we invest ten percent or more of our sales revenues in agricultural research and development, so that we can continue to offer innovative, tested and safe solutions to our agricultural customers. Safety, health and environmental responsibility play an important role in the development and marketing of our products.
Counterfeit and illegal products pose significant risks to:
- Farmers, as their crops and fields can be damaged and their health impacted due to exposure to unknown or banned chemicals
- The environment, as illegal products can contaminate ground water and soil and can damage beneficial insects and other organisms
- Consumers, as unknown and untested residues can enter the food chain
Crop Life and the European Crop Protection Association estimate that five to nine percent of the market consists of illegal pesticides, often due to counterfeit products with fake labels and packaging.
Our target:
To protect farmers, consumers and the environment, BASF consistently develops and implements measures to combat and pursue such illegal activities. BASF is dedicated to ensuring sustainable farming and food safety.
As part of its target to combat illegal counterfeiting, BASF supports a globally integrated industry approach. This includes: