There is a lot of discussion about pesticide use in agriculture, not to mention the use of counterfeit pesticides. But it is clear that the existence of these counterfeit pesticides effects the EU economy, according to a report of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
This recent report from the EUIPO shows that 13.8% of legitimate revenues are lost each year due to counterfeiting of pesticides in the EU-28.
This can be translated into a direct loss of 2,600 jobs in the pesticides sector in the EU. When the knock-on effects of counterfeit pesticides in the marketplace are taken into account, 11,700 jobs are lost in the EU economy.
The total yearly loss of government revenue as a result of counterfeit products in this sector across the EU-28 in terms of taxes and social contributions is estimated at €238 million.
The Executive Director of the EUIPO, António Campinos said: “As our reporting series has shown, counterfeiting can affect every economic sector, and the pesticide manufacturing industry, which includes a large number of small and medium enterprises, is no exception.”
For more information, see: https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/web/observatory/ipr-infringement-pesticides-sector