Agrochemicals

The Agrochemical Committee of the European Business Association finally received an encouraging reaction from the law enforcement bodies to its multiple addresses asking the Government and the law enforcement bodies to assume responsibility for life and health of the citizens and prevent the outflow of fake products into the markets of Ukraine. Following multiple appeals and efforts of the EBA Agrochemical Committee, on 27 January 2011 the Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv Oblast initiated a criminal investigation in line with the provisions of Clause 3 Article 15 and Clause 3 of Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Background: In November 2010, officers of the National Security Service’ Unit in charge of combating corruption and organized crime discovered 74 tons of pesticides belonging to a company that has no license for pesticide trading (Bila Tserkva, Kyiv Oblast).

In violation of the provisions of the State Sanitary Rules for Settlement Planning and Development approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine’s Order No. 173 of June 19, 1996 and of the State Sanitary Rule “Transportation, Storage, and Application of Pesticides in National Economy” (hereinafter “Rules”), 74 tons of pesticides are being kept at a warehouse located in the residential area on the territory of a furniture factory and adjacent to the storage facility for ready-made products. In addition, this warehouse and the chemical substances kept therein have been recognized by the Ministry of Emergency Situations as a highly hazardous object. According to the available information, the Bila Tserkva Rayon Sanitary-Epidemiological Service put a ban on the activities of this facility.

The Medved Institute of Ecological Hygiene and Toxicology carried out laboratory tests of the products in question and found that the products are in fact counterfeit. Thus, the owners of these counterfeit products violate the intellectual property rights of the respective original producers. Also these fake products represent an especially high level of hazard and could cause damage to farmers’ and consumer’s health as well to the environment, because after getting into the soil their can stay unsolved and thus adversely impact future crops!

The Agrochemical Committee brought this occurrence to the knowledge of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the General Procurator’s Office of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine.

Finally, following multiple efforts of Agrochemical Committee’s Members, on 27 January 2011 the Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv Oblast initiated a criminal investigation in line with the provisions of Clause 3 Article 15 and Clause 3 of Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The European Business Association will continue asking the Government to take decisive actions aimed at withdrawing the products posing hazards for the environment and human health from civil circulation and their soonest destruction.