"BASF, through Micro Flo, appears to have earned millions of dollars in ill-gotten profits by peddling illegal pesticides to unsuspecting farmers and homeowners. Legitimate pesticides registered with EPA must undergo extensive testing and evaluation... Micro Flo, however, bypassed this process in blatant disregard for the health of American families and children. We are gratified that EPA... has now stopped BASF and Micro Flo from continuing to put profits above the welfare of the American public."
*Chemical company to reveal GM crop trial locations
*BASF subsidiary charged with massive illegal pesticide sales [via AGNET SEPTEMBER 18, 2001]
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*CHEMICAL COMPANY TO REVEAL GM CROP TRIAL LOCATIONS [shortened]
September 18, 2001
ABC News Australia
Chemical company Monsanto is to release details of its genetically modified crop trial sites in Australia.
The company has decided not to appeal against a ruling by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.
Under Australia`s new gene technology laws, the locations of all GM crop trials were supposed to be made public, but Monanto applied to keep them secret.
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BASF SUBSIDIARY CHARGED WITH MASSIVE ILLEGAL PESTICIDE SALES
September 17, 2001
WRIGHT & SIELATY, P.C. Media Release
Last week, the United States Environmental Protection Agency charged Micro Flo Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF Corporation, with importing and selling millions of pounds of illegal, counterfeit pesticides over several years. EPA's charges against Micro Flo, which is a large pesticide formulator and distributor with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, amount to the largest enforcement case ever brought by the federal government for pesticide-related illegal conduct. EPA is seeking over $3.7 million in penalties, and has asserted over 670 separate violations by Micro Flo. The allegations against Micro Flo and BASF were initially investigated and brought to EPA's attention by the law firm of Wright & Sielaty on behalf of United Phosphorus.
The case originated when United Phosphorus discovered that Micro Flo had registered with EPA, under Micro Flo's own name, various pesticides produced by UP in India. EPA granted those registrations based on the high quality and purity of UP's pesticides, and Micro Flo's certifications that its products would contain only UP's pesticidal active ingredients.
Despite those certifications, extensive evidence provided to EPA showed that Micro Flo was importing millions of pounds illegal, unapproved pesticide active ingredients from other foreign producers. EPA's own investigations confirmed that Micro Flo smuggled those active ingredients into the United States by falsely claiming that they were registered by EPA and produced by UP. In fact, EPA charges, those products did not contain UP's high quality, EPA-approved active ingredients. Instead, those products contained potentially dangerous, counterfeit pesticides that had never been approved by EPA.
EPA's action against Micro Flo sends a strong signal that the United States no longer will tolerate the widespread practice of importing and selling unapproved, counterfeit pesticides. According to James Wright, UP's attorney: It is ironic that BASF's corporate theme and advertising slogan is: "We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better."(r) The millions of pounds of illegal, counterfeit and potentially dangerous pesticides smuggled into the United States by BASF's subsidiary, Micro Flo Company, certainly didn't make our fruits and vegetables better.
"BASF, through Micro Flo, appears to have earned millions of dollars in ill-gotten profits by peddling illegal pesticides to unsuspecting farmers and homeowners. Legitimate pesticides registered with EPA must undergo extensive testing and evaluation to prove that they can be safely used. Micro Flo, however, bypassed this process in blatant disregard for the health of American families and children. We are gratified that EPA has filed the largest pesticide related enforcement case ever in the history of the United States, and has now stopped BASF and Micro Flo from continuing to put profits above the welfare of the American public."
In a related legal action, United Phosphorus is pursuing a separate lawsuit against BASF and Micro Flo. That lawsuit seeks over 50 million dollars in damages, based on the same conduct that EPA has now confirmed was illegal. According to Wright: "Independent of EPA, federal law allows UP to seek separate damages from BASF and Micro Flo. We fully expect UP's rights to be wholly vindicated in court, and to achieve full recovery for the harm UP has suffered."
For more information:
EPA's complaint against Micro Flo, and other related information, can be viewed at http://www.pesticide.net/enforce/2001/microflo.html.
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