Podcast: bee deaths and pesticides in Brazil – Folha – 10/05/2023 – Podcasts

There were 100 million bees killed in Mato Grosso in June, 80 million in Bahia in July and another loss of similar volume in Minas Gerais in January. Since 2017, at least five more states have had records like this. Common to all cases is the presence of the pesticide fipronil.

The substance has already been banned in the European Union and in Latin American countries, but continues to be used in several cultures in Brazil. Aimed at combating pests such as boll weevils, ants and termites, in bees it affects the central nervous system and leads to acute death.

The scenario reflects the obstacles in monitoring the use of pesticides in the country. Beekeepers mobilize for stricter control of fipronil —after the flexibility in the release of pesticides seen under the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) administration.

This Thursday’s episode (5) of Café da Manhã talks about the importance of bees for the environment and agriculture, explains what the death of millions of insects indicates about the use of pesticides in Brazil and analyzes the regulation of the sector. The podcast interviews Alexa Salomão, reporter for Sheet.

The audio program is published on Spotify, a streaming service partner of Sheet in the initiative and which specializes in music, podcast and video. You can listen to the episode by clicking above. To access the app, simply register for free.

Café da Manhã is published from Monday to Friday, always at the beginning of the day. The episode is presented by journalists Gabriela Mayer and Gustavo Simon, produced by Carolina Moraes, Laila Mouallem and Victor Lacombe. Sound editing is by Thomé Granemann.