Brazilian Congress approves controversial pesticides project

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved on Wednesday, February 9, a controversial bill that makes the control and approval of pesticides in Brazil more flexible, called by its opponents the Bill of Poison, which its promoters promote as a modernizer of the agricultural sector.

The initiative, pending since 2002, obtained 301 votes in favor against 150 and two abstentions and still has to be approved by the Senate before it can become law. A special commission of the Upper House had approved the bill in 2018.

This approval was achieved with the backing of allies of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, who has promoted a series of agribusiness-friendly projects since his ascension in 2019, which environmental groups have highly questioned.

The proposal relaxes the rules for using pesticides in Brazil and gives the Ministry of Agriculture the power to authorize new products. This process currently includes the Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA).

The project had been at a standstill until December 2021, when the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, requested an urgent vote on it, which took place this Wednesday.

Environmentalists warn that the text may entail health risks since it will eliminate the evaluations necessary to calculate the impact on people and the environment. On the other hand, its supporters assure that its approval will increase production, lower food prices, and bring more food security to Brazil.

Greenpeace reaffirmed its position against the bill: “Bolsonaro’s government and the rural deputies are opting for an agricultural production model that sickens, deforests, and kills”.

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