7 of Brazil's Top Pesticides Are EU-Banned

Which pesticides banned in the EU are top-sellers in Brazil?

Seven of the ten best-selling pesticides in Brazil are prohibited in the European Union, yet European companies continue to export them to Brazil. Geographer Larissa Mies Bombardi, a researcher at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) based in France, calls this practice "chemical colonialism."

Why are these substances banned in Europe?

According to Bombardi, who has studied pesticide use and its connections to the global economy for around 15 years, the substances are banned in the EU because they are carcinogenic, cause fetal malformations, disrupt hormonal systems, or cause severe environmental damage. Despite these known risks, Brazil continues to authorize their use domestically.

What are the top 10 pesticides sold in Brazil in 2023?

• Glyphosate and its salts
• Mancozeb — banned in the EU
• 2,4-D — banned in the EU
• Acephate — banned in the EU
• Chlorothalonil — banned in the EU
• Atrazine — banned in the EU
• S-metolachlor — banned in the EU
• Glufosinate (ammonium salt)
• Malathion
• Diquat dibromide — banned in the EU

What are the environmental and health impacts?

Bombardi cited data from the Pesticide Atlas 2022, published by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, showing a 41% decline in the number of insects worldwide between 2009 and 2019. For butterflies specifically, the decline reaches 53%. The herbicide atrazine, the sixth best-selling pesticide in Brazil, has been linked to anomalies in amphibians, including sex changes in frogs.

Where were these findings presented?

Bombardi made these statements on July 31 at a conference during the 78th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), held at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) in Niterói, in the Greater Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.