The release of pesticides falls in Brazil in 2023, after seven consecutive years of increases

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The current Lula government approved 555 pesticides in the first year, a 15% drop compared to 2022. Despite this, the number of approvals is the 3rd highest in the historical series that began 24 years ago. Image of a mechanized application of pesticides to control pests and diseases. Christiane Congro Comas/Embrapa The number of pesticide releases in Brazil fell in 2023, after seven consecutive years of increases, according to data from the General Coordination of Pesticides and Related Products (CGAA), of the Ministry of Agriculture, updated last Tuesday (9). In its first year, the Lula government approved 555 products, a 15% drop compared to 2022, when Brazil released 652 pesticides, a record in the historical series, which began 24 years ago. Despite the reduction, the number of approvals in 2023 was the 3rd highest in the series. Following the trend of recent years, the majority of approved pesticides are generic (520), that is, “copies” of new active ingredients — which can be made when patents fall — or final products based on ingredients already on the market. The other 35 products are new. Starting this year, the approval of pesticides should become faster. This is because President Lula sanctioned, at the end of 2023, the new law that speeds up the analysis time for the release of products. Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture also show that: 365 pesticides were released to farmers – these are called “formulated products”. The other 190 were for use in industry – these are known as “technical products”, raw materials used in the manufacture of pesticides. Of the total, 465 are chemical products, while 90 are biological (hormones, insects, viruses), which have a low environmental impact and are aimed at organic agriculture – under the new Brazilian legislation, they are also called pesticides. New products Of the 35 new pesticides, 24 were released for use by farmers, while 11 are aimed at pesticide manufacturers. Among those that can go directly to the field, Resuris stands out, based on Fluindapyr and Chlorothalonil, which was considered by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) as highly toxic to human health. Resuris is a fungicide used on corn, soybean and peanut plantations. The classification by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) identified one pesticide as “highly dangerous” and another 14 “very dangerous” for the environment. The release of products is a decision of the three bodies: Anvisa, Ibama and the Ministry of Agriculture. Read also: New pesticide law: what President Lula vetoed and the repercussions among environmentalists, ruralists and industry Why does food production depend so much on pesticides? How a factory of insects that are agricultural pesticides works Where table grapes come from Wheat waits up to a year and goes through more than 30 processes before becoming bread Where tomatoes come from

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