World Health Organization · 2025
Technical guidance for regulatory authorities, distributors, retailers and end users to counter illegal pesticide trade and protect public health, environment and agricultural integrity.
- Issuer
- World Health Organization
- Edition
- 2025
- Audience
- Regulatory authorities, distributors, retailers, end users, customs officials, enforcement authorities
- Evidence
- Expert consensus from FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management
- Reviewed
- 16 Oct 2026 · GMJ
What this guideline says
GMJ summary
This guidance note from FAO and WHO addresses the global challenge of illegal pesticide trade, which poses significant risks to public health, environmental safety and agricultural integrity. Illegal trade encompasses unregistered or banned substances, unauthorised imports, counterfeit products, smuggling, document falsification, mislabelling and online sales of substandard products. The illegal trade is estimated to represent approximately one-third of pesticide trade in Africa and India, 24% in Brazil, and 10–14% in the European Union, often linked to organized crime groups.
The document provides a comprehensive framework for countries to assess their national situation and implement targeted actions across the pesticide life cycle. Key mitigation strategies include raising awareness among authorities and end users, strengthening cooperation between stakeholders under a One Health approach, improving national pesticide legislation and enforcement, modernising compliance mechanisms using digital technologies, and establishing robust data collection systems. The guidance emphasises the importance of international collaboration through participation in mechanisms such as the Rotterdam Convention, OECD Rapid Alert System, and regional harmonisation initiatives.
Illegal pesticides can cause acute poisoning and death, long-term health effects, misdiagnosis of poisoning cases, occupational exposure due to inadequate packaging, increased incidence of vector-borne diseases from substandard vector control products, environmental contamination, biodiversity loss, development of pest and vector resistance, crop losses, and disruption of fair markets and international food trade.
Key points
For clinicians — doses and thresholds as stated in the guideline
- Illegal pesticide trade is defined as any trade not adhering to national legal obligations, including unregistered products, counterfeit substances, smuggled goods, and products with falsified documentation or labelling
- Approximately one-third of pesticide trade is illegal in Africa and India, 24% in Brazil, and 10–14% in the European Union, representing a major global public health and agricultural threat
- Countries should assess their national situation considering priority challenges such as inadequate legislation, weak inspection services, porous borders, insufficient laboratory facilities, and inadequate sanctions
- Mitigation actions include raising awareness campaigns for authorities and users, strengthening multi-stakeholder cooperation under a One Health approach, and improving coordination among agriculture, health, environment, customs and police departments
- National pesticide legislation should provide adequate inspection powers, impose registration/licensing requirements on importers and sellers, enable information collection through record-keeping, clarify status of seized stocks, and establish deterrent sanctions including licence revocation
- Strengthen border controls and post-registration market surveillance, provide specialised training to inspectors and enforcement authorities, and establish centralized databases for monitoring incidents
- Promote international cooperation through ratification of the Rotterdam Convention, participation in OECD Rapid Alert System (open to all governments), application of WHO Guidelines for Procuring Public Health Pesticides, and regional harmonisation initiatives
- Digital technologies including blockchain, big data analytics and artificial intelligence offer opportunities for end-to-end product traceability, automated container inspections and better risk management at borders, though traditional monitoring remains necessary especially in resource-limited settings
From the guideline
Verbatim
“The illegal trade of pesticides is defined as any trade of pesticides (including biopesticides) that does not adhere to one or more legal obligations at the national level.”
Editor’s perspective
Why this matters for Georgia and the region
Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Georgian Medical Journal · Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia · WHO consultant, health and migration
As Chair of the Public Health Institute of Georgia and a WHO consultant on health and migration, I recognise that illegal pesticide trade poses underappreciated risks to Georgia's agricultural sector, public health systems and environmental health. The guidance's emphasis on multi-sectoral coordination under a One Health framework is particularly relevant for Georgia, where we need stronger linkages between our agriculture ministry's pesticide registration system, customs border controls, public health poison centres, and vector control programmes for malaria and leishmaniasis. I would stress to Georgian colleagues the critical recommendation to establish poison testing centres with protocols to photograph and describe substances causing poisoning—this documentation is essential for both clinical management and regulatory enforcement, yet remains underdeveloped in our health facilities. The realistic implementation challenge for Georgia and neighbouring Caucasus countries will be securing sustainable funding and political commitment for post-market surveillance and laboratory capacity when these are not revenue-generating activities, alongside addressing the corruption risks explicitly mentioned in the guidance that can undermine even well-designed regulatory frameworks.
ORCID 0000-0001-7609-4515 · Perspective written for the GMJ Guidelines Library, 16 Oct 2026
Applicability
Georgia and the South Caucasus
For Georgia and the South Caucasus, illegal pesticide trade represents a significant concern given the region’s position at the crossroads of major trade routes, extensive agricultural production, and in some areas porous borders. National programmes should assess the specific situation regarding border control capacity, strength of pesticide registration and post-market surveillance systems, laboratory capacity for pesticide analysis, coordination mechanisms between agriculture, health, environment and customs authorities, and availability of poison testing centres for managing acute poisoning cases. Georgia’s participation in international mechanisms such as the Rotterdam Convention and potential engagement with OECD’s Rapid Alert System would strengthen regional capacity to detect and prevent illegal trade. The One Health approach recommended in the guidance aligns well with integrated vector control programmes for malaria elimination and leishmaniasis control in the region, where substandard vector control products could undermine public health gains. Regional cooperation among Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on pesticide regulation harmonisation and information sharing would enhance effectiveness of national enforcement efforts.
Questions this guideline answers
Quick answers
What constitutes illegal pesticide trade?
Any trade of pesticides not adhering to national legal obligations, including unregistered or banned substances, unauthorised imports, counterfeit products with fake or inappropriate ingredients, smuggling, document falsification, mislabelling, unauthorised repackaging, products sold without appropriate licences, and unauthorised blending or dilution of registered products.
What are the main health risks from illegal pesticides?
Unknown or variable composition may cause acute poisoning and death, particularly in children; misdiagnosis of poisoning due to inaccurate product information; residues of unknown substances in food endangering consumers; occupational exposure from inadequate packaging and missing PPE information; increased vector-borne disease incidence from substandard vector control products; and development of insecticide resistance from sub-optimal applications.
What national legislative measures are needed?
Legislation should provide adequate inspection and enforcement powers across the whole pesticide life cycle; underpin strong registration systems with requirements for labels and containers; impose regulatory control through registration or licensing of importers, manufacturers and sellers; enable cooperation between pesticide, customs and enforcement authorities; assign mandates for post-registration market surveillance; clarify status and cost responsibility for seized stocks; and establish deterrent sanctions such as licence revocation and monetary fines.
How can countries participate in international cooperation against illegal pesticide trade?
Ratify and implement the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent; consider adopting the OECD Recommendation on Countering Illegal Trade of Pesticides (open to all governments); participate in the OECD Rapid Alert System for suspected illegal trade (open to all governments); apply WHO Guidelines for Procuring Public Health Pesticides; promote regional cooperation and harmonisation on registration and trade; and establish cross-border task forces and joint operations in border areas.
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- International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management: Guidance on options for reducing risk when phasing out pesticides
- Responding to the health financing emergency: immediate measures and longer-term shifts
- Compendium of practice to inform regional and national civilian-military collaboration for health emergency preparedness
- Guidelines on hand hygiene in community settings
- Guidelines for drinking-water quality: fourth edition incorporating the first, second and third addenda
- Issuer
- World Health Organization
- Type
- Guidance (normative)
- Edition
- 2025
- Status
- Current
- Published
- 2025-05-12
- Languages
- English
- Scope
- Global
- Audience
- Regulatory authorities, distributors, retailers, end users, customs officials, enforcement authorities
- Licence
- CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- ISBN
- 978-92-4-010916-2
- Evidence
- Expert consensus from FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management
- Record history
- Created 16 Oct 2026 · updated 16 Oct 2026 · next check Apr 2027
FAO & WHO. International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management – Guidance note on addressing illegal trade of pesticides. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization; 2025.GMJ Guidelines Library records are original summaries written by the GMJ editorial team from the issuer’s published document and reviewed by a physician. They do not replace the full guideline. The document is the copyright of its issuer and is linked, not hosted. Spotted an error or a newer edition? Tell the Guidelines Desk.
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