Lula da Silva Regulates the Use of Pesticides in Brazil

On Thursday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva sanctioned with some vetoes the law regulating the use of pesticides, a norm that had been strongly criticized by environmentalists.

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Processed in Congress for 24 years, this bill deals with the control, inspection and supervision of agrochemicals. It was sanctioned with vetoes "to guarantee adequate protection of the rights to life and an ecologically balanced environment," the Brazilian Presidency stated.

One of the vetoes takes away from the Agriculture Ministry the exclusive powers for the evaluation and registration of pesticides, which will also continue to be analyzed by other regulatory institutions.

Therefore, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the Agriculture Ministry, and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) must issue reports for the registration of a pesticide or the evaluation of any reported agrotoxic.

The text reads, "Brazil approved 505 new pesticide registrations in 2023. Since 2016 we have broken consecutive records! Recently, ANVISA revealed that 1 out of 4 vegetables contains residues of prohibited pesticides or residues at values higher than those allowed."

Lula withdrew an article from the law that exempted pesticide-producing companies from paying for modifications to product information labels and also allowed them to reuse the labels.

The president's vetoes may be analyzed again by Congress, which had approved the initial text of the law after a negotiation with the "Ruralist Caucus", a group of right-wing legislators who have ties to large companies involved in agricultural and extractives.

Initially, the law planned to reduce the time for registration of new pesticides. This proposal was harshly criticized by over 140 social and environmental organizations for which this norm had a high potential to harm the health of Brazilian people, animals, and ecosystems.