Use of Emamectin Benzoate may be suspended in Brazilian state

The Federal Justice in Brazil has issued a sentence that the Institute of Agricultural Defense of State of Mato Grosso could not allow the manipulation, production, research, experimentation, transport, storage, commercialization and use of Emamectin Benzoate. The decision rejects the requests of habilitation and emergency use, including the already existing requests.

Officially, the Institute was not notified on the decision. In the case of requests, farmers should be aware that the product could be apprehended at any time. In the case of undue use of Emamectin Benzoate in the state of Mato Grosso, farmers should be fined and can be condemned to repair patrimonial and extra patrimonial damage, caused by the product to the environment and public health. The apprehension of products and the interdiction of distribution establishment should be done at this moment.

In April of 2014, farmers of Mato Grosso were allowed to use the insecticides with Emamectin Benzoate. The decision was given by federal judge Jirair Aram Meguerian of the Federal Regional Tribunal of the 1st Region, after the arguments favorable to the release of the product in the country presented by enforcement agents of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (Mapa).

The use of Benzoate is grounded by the Law No. 12,873/2013, which authorizes Mapa to declare state of phytosanitary emergency the presence of risk of an outbreak of quarantine plague like the case of Helicoverpa armigera. The state of Mato Grosso was recognized in state of phytosanitary emergency in November of 2013 through the ordinance No. 1,130 of Mapa.

If there is a positive decision for the use of Benzoate, producer should appeal to conventional and registered insecticides for the combat of the caterpillar. The molecule developed by Syngenta is currently distributed by CCAB, Ouro Fino and Macroseeds.

The Benzoate has been identified as one of the products that has reduced the use of other less effective molecules in the last two years in Brazil. The application, which is around 100 grams per hectare, depending on the available and authorized concentrations.

The suspension decision refers only to Mato Grosso. Other states like Goiás, Bahia, Tocantins and Maranhão authorized the emergency imports of the product. It is possible that Syngenta reached the conventional registration of this product throughout the year.