Enforcement 6/26: E-commerce Pesticides 2025

Many of the tips and complaints regarding pesticides received by the Swedish Chemicals Agency in 2025 concerned the online sale of pesticides that are not approved in Sweden. In 2025, we conducted an inspection of online pesticide sales as part of a regulatory project based on the tips we received.

The primary objective of the project was to stop the supply of illegal pesticides in Sweden in order to prevent harm to the environment and human health. We inspected 13 operators offering illegal pesticides through e-commerce. The inspections covered both plant protection products and biocidal products in online stores and on online platforms.

Sales of illegal pesticides were halted for all operators located in Sweden and other EU countries, but for 4 out of 5 operators outside the EU whom we were unable to contact, sales have continued. In total, we inspected 229 product listings for illegal pesticides during the project.

There remains a lack of knowledge regarding pesticide regulations among many of those offering these products through e-commerce.

We assess that there remains a significant need for continuous oversight of e-commerce involving pesticides, particularly since the sale of unauthorized products continues for both biocidal products and plant protection products. We also see a need to develop our working methods for the oversight of pesticides in e-commerce. There is a clear risk that pesticides that have not been evaluated and approved are being made available in Sweden, as health and the environment can be harmed by unauthorized use.