Combating illegal pesticides multiplies with integrated actions

Acting on the decapitalization of criminal organizations that operate in the smuggling or counterfeiting of chemical and biological pesticides has been a strategy adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) in combating fraud and crimes involving the product. The subject was debated this week, at the Workshop on illegal pesticides held in Campinas (SP). The event was promoted by an association of research, development and innovation companies that operate in the areas of seeds, biotechnology, plant defense and digital agriculture, Croplife-BR. 

Mapa participated in the event at the opening and with a technical talk. The superintendent of the ministry in the State of São Paulo, Guilherme Campos, recalled that the productive sector demands, with great justice, actions to combat illegality from the competent authorities. “Let's do our part so that the illegal pesticide market is eradicated from productive activity in the countryside,” he said. 

The federal agricultural tax auditor, Julio Cesar Lima, head of the Pesticides and Related Inspection Division, recalled in his lecture that the actions taken by different actors, such as military police in the States, Federal Highway Police, Ibama, Mapa, Federal Revenue, Police Civil, Public Ministry, Federal Police, among others, end up multiplying the fight against illegal products. 

According to him, the recent inclusion of Mapa in the Integrated Border Protection Program (PPIF), in 2019, increased supervision over smuggling and adulteration of pesticides. The division that Julio heads has already carried out 37 operations and 26 theoretical and in-service training sessions for partner institutions in these four years. 

“Events like this one in Campinas, where we explain everything from the concept of pesticides to smuggling routes, end up encouraging even more repression actions”, he stated. According to the Mapa auditor, in the past these products entered Brazil through neighboring countries, but now illegal products have been discovered arriving at Brazilian ports and airports. 

With integrated action between several institutions, there is an exchange of information and official documents that allow for the expansion of punishments. For example, even if Mapa has not participated in a certain operation, police reports or infraction notices drawn up by another institution can support the administrative process at the ministry's level. In this way, the penalties provided for in different legislations accumulate. 

Another issue discussed at the workshop was the difficulty of finding available spaces to store seized illegal products. An alternative presented by Julio was to use the structure of research companies that correctly dispose of their chemical components. This waste is dumped into tanks, where the liquid evaporates and only the solid, less voluminous part remains. This sludge can be destined for incineration, in a more favorable condition. The server suggested public-private partnerships to make this measure viable.  

Data presented at the workshop indicate that around 25% of pesticides used in Brazil are illegal. Recent Mapa legislation changed the value of the fine applied, going from a ceiling of R$40 to R$150 for cases considered very serious, such as smuggling. 

Companies producing legal pesticides that participated in the event presented applications and investigative measures that they are adopting to help identify suspicious products and contain the spread of criminal organizations. One of them stated that it invests in punitive processes until the end, through legal actions.