Ottawa, Canada
october 13, 2011

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) enables a strong international framework against counterfeit pesticide products

CropLife Canada strongly supports the commitment of national governments to join forces to fight counterfeiting and increase intellectual property protection. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will strengthen standards for the enforcement of intellectual property (IP), helping the global fight against counterfeit products.

Canada, Australia, the European Union and its Member States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States reached this agreement in October 2010. Japan is the most recent signatory to the agreement that is open for signature until May 1, 2013.

"Canada enjoys a strong regulatory environment that ensures the pest control products approved for use in our country can be safely used," said Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada. "Strong and united enforcement of intellectual property laws helps to prevent the sale of illegal pesticides to unsuspecting Canadian farmers."

With the growth of manufacturing capabilities it has become easier to produce and internationally trade ingredients for counterfeit pesticides. In addition, these illegal pesticides are often disguised by fake packaging, which means they are unapproved, unauthorised and untested.

"Counterfeit crop protection products present a serious food safety, environment and human health risk," said Hepworth. "Since these unregulated products do not undergo safety or efficacy testing, they can destroy harvests, present a health and safety risk for farmers and create environmental hazards."

Ultimately, counterfeiting and lack of effective Intellectual Property protection erodes the incentive for plant science companies to continue to invest considerable time and resources into the development of new technologies.

"The plant science industry continues to invest and provide new tools to improve crop productivity and enable sustainable farming practices. Our industry commends the many countries who have signed on to the agreement, including Canada who was an early signatory, because it will protect farmers, consumers and our environment," says Hepworth.

In reaction to counterfeit products and the inherent risks, the plant science industry has formed an anti-counterfeiting task force to work with international law enforcement, regulatory and trade authorities. The task force is raising awareness with governments and regulatory agencies on the dangers of counterfeit and illegal pesticides, and helping those agencies train staff to deal with the threat.

Website: http://www.croplife.ca

Published: October 13, 2011