Brazil set a record for pesticide approvals in 2024, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). There were 663 products approved, a 19% increase from 2023, which saw a reduction in new product registrations. Most newly approved products are generics of existing agents (541), along with 15 new substances and 106 biological products, known as "bio-inputs."
According to Alan Tygel, a member of the Permanent Campaign Against Pesticides and For Life, this increase is not a result of the new pesticide law approved in 2023 with vetoes by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as the rule has not been regulated. Tygel believes these figures reflect the continuation of an agricultural production model that ignores the effects of these chemicals and prioritizes profit margins.
“The curve of new registrations has been rising since 2016, the year of the coup against President Dilma Rousseff. The 2024 data shows this trend hasn't reversed under the Lula administration; instead, support for agribusiness and agrochemical transnationals remains strong within the federal executive. "We're not yet seeing the new law's effects because it hasn't been regulated; this is just a continuation of policies encouraging agribusiness, primary product exports, and deindustrialization,” said Tygel.
The new pesticide law shortens the deadlines for product analysis and removes the veto power from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the Government Agency for Indigenous People (Ibama), making them only responsible for classifying product risks.
Researchers warn that this model of agri-food production has led to the loss of cultivation areas for foods not prioritized by agribusiness, which focuses on export commodities. This situation is worsening food insecurity in Brazil. “One consequence of this choice is the rise in food prices as soy replaces food crops,” says Tygel.
Pedro Vasconcelos, an advisor at Fian Brasil (Organization for the Human Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition), adds, “The population is suffering the effects of a system that's destroying our production methods. We're eating poisoned food, and productivity is constantly dropping due to this model. It's a cycle: productivity decreases, climate issues intensify, making it a highly unsustainable model.”
Among the newly approved substances, two are classified as "highly toxic" by the Health Surveillance Agency. Orandis, based on Chlorothalonil and Oxathiapiprolim, acts as a fungicide for small crops. Miravis, a combination of Chlorothalonil and Pidiflumetofem, is used on large crops like soybeans, corn, cotton, and wheat. Syngenta produces both. According to manufacturers, inhaling these products can lead to death and cause allergic reactions and eye damage with undue exposure.
Brazilian food is poisoned
The massive release of chemical substances for agricultural use is affecting Brazilian food quality and has serious health consequences. The Health Surveillance Agency's 2023 Program for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food revealed that around 26% of consumed food has pesticide residues. Of these residues, at least five are restricted or banned in other countries, including Carbendazim, which was banned in Brazil in 2022.
Rice samples alone contained 25 different pesticides, while pineapple had 31 residual substances, including glyphosate, which is banned in several EU countries due to its link to cancer. Another widely used pesticide found in guava is chlorpyrifos, which is associated with neurological disorders, fetal malformations, and miscarriages.
