Pest controllers are being warned to be careful to only source their Advion Cockroach and Advion Ant gel products from the authorised distribution network, or potentially fall foul of counterfeit product that could adversely affect results and risk business integrity or financial ruin.
Speaking at the BPCA PestEx education seminars next month in London, (March 18-19) Syngenta business manager, Richard Moseley, will highlight the increasing threat of cheap illegal or fake products touted online or pedalled from market traders.
Mr Moseley said: “While pest control businesses are often under pressure from customers to do the cheapest possible job, the use of illicit product sourced at low-cost from disreputable channels is likely to lead to disappointing results, and open the business to trading standards or police challenge from using illegal products, with no support.
“As the old adage goes: ‘if something is too good to be true, it probably is’.”
“Mr Moseley continued: “There are huge costs in the ongoing R&D, registration, manufacturing, distribution and support of Advion products globally; if someone is purportedly selling any Advion product at below market price, it can only be because it is being sourced and traded illegally.”
All Advion products in the UK are sold by Killgerm and its associated reputable distributors. “Buying from anyone outside that chain is likely to be illicit product and not authorised for the UK market,” Mr Moseley warned.
He pointed out that it is only legal to use Advion with the appropriate UK label and authorisation number in the UK. The onus lies on the operative to check that the product they have brought is correct, before use.
The huge use of Advion branded insecticides globally means that it is inevitably subject to counterfeit product, just like the market-leading brands of alcohol, perfume or cigarettes. The incidence of look-alike fake Advion product is greatest in the Middle and Far East, as well as Africa, but inevitably some can find its way onto the UK market, primarily through mail order or auction sales platforms.
For the most part this is going to be fake product, which analysis has shown can contain little or no indoxacarb, or be a completely different insecticide with none of the genuine benefits. Results can be hugely disappointing for operators and customers, as well as potentially dangerous through contamination.
While Advion is recognised by HACCP International for use in and around food manufacturing premises, for example, if an operator was to be found to be using non-genuine product, even inadvertently, any assurance would be void and the whole factory production could be compromised.
Syngenta and police investigations into supplies purchased through UK online retail sites has found labels purporting to come from other countries and clear examples of fake products, with examples of incorrect spelling on the label, the wrong colours printed or low-quality packaging that is clearly not Syngenta product or manufacturing standard.
Mr Moseley also pointed out that illegal product sales have also been closely linked to criminal gangs, associated with drug sales, slavery, extortion and migration.
“It’s use supports a criminal class that undermines society and creates huge problems across communities,” he said.
“It is important that customers and the general public are aware of the issues of illegal and fake products, which may appear tempting to give it a go themselves. But, at best, it will inevitably give poor results compared to competent professional operators using genuine product.
“At worst it could cause a catastrophic situation for them, their family or pets, and with no support to rectify the situation. It’s up to us, the manufacturers, the pest control industry – including BPCA and NPTA – pest controllers and the trading standards and police to limit the potential pitfalls.”
Mr Moseley advocates operators record Advion packs used on any job and retain proof of purchase from reputable suppliers. Should there be any question from the customer, it is the quickest way to trace back the source of the product, he suggested.
“We will always actively support operators using genuine Advion within the best use guidelines,” Mr Moseley said. “It’s one of the big assurances for you and your customers of using a premium branded product.
“We will also continue to pursue the illegal activity of selling fake or illegally labelled product purporting to be Advion. It’s bad for our reputation for quality products, and for the reputation of honest pest controllers who bear the true cost of genuine product to assure their customers get the best possible results.”
