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Date Published: 17/06/2021
ARCHIVED - Cordoba company involved in international ecological seed scam
Two kinds of conventional seeds were being sold as ecological products using false documents provided by an operator in Córdoba, Andalusia
The SEPRONA department, which stands for Nature Protection Service, of the Guardia Civil in Córdoba is investigating six people in connection with the falsification of documentation which allowed conventional seeds and pulses to be sold as ecological seeds, defrauding agriculturalists and all of those who purchased what they believed to be ecological products.
This investigation first began in February 2019 when the authorities were alerted of irregularities in the commercialization of ecological rapeseed and sunflower seeds involving an operator in the province of Córdoba, as well as different operators in other European countries.
Preliminary investigations highlighted the possible falsification of documents which certified that the products were ecological. Residue from phytosanitary products, which are not authorized in organic or ecological agriculture, were also detected amongst sunflower seeds used in large-scale cultivation of ecological products.
Labelling of products as being ecological is strictly controlled in order to protect the integrity of this type of branding and to ensure that ecological products are grown in full compliance with the legislation through which they are controlled; members of the public are frequently asked to pay a premium price for ecological products and have to trust that the products are what they say they are, as buying ecological is a consumer choice.
It was found that the seeds in question originated in Romania and were being sold in Bulgaria, Italy and Germany, with the operator in Córdoba providing false documentation certifying that they were ecological, when in fact, they weren´t.
SEPRONA were able to identify six individuals who were directly or indirectly involved in this international scam and they are now being investigated for fraud, falsification of documents and belonging to a criminal group.
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