CCAS defends new law to speed up registration of agrochemicals in Brazil

Date:12-21-2022

The Sustainable Agro Scientific Council (CCAS) favors the speedy approval of new agrochemicals that are safe for the environment, consumers, and farmers, in the light of scientific knowledge.

In 2022, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved the pesticide law, which regulated obtaining registration for agrochemicals.

One of the most significant advances of the law is centralizing the inspection and analysis process of these products in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA).

Another major change is granting temporary registration if one does not meet the deadline, which caused a lot of controversies.

Caio Carbonari, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Unesp University

According to the Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Unesp University, Caio Carbonari, modern pesticide molecules control pests more effectively.

Carbonari, a member of the CCAS, explained that correctly using pesticides does not pose risks to the consumer's health.

″Brazil is a member of the Codex Alimentarius, a United Nations program establishing safe food residue limits. Brazil does not use products prohibited in the world and, on the other hand, Europe uses products that are not registered or used in our country,″ he explained.

One must remember that agrochemicals are used and evaluated according to each country’s needs. In addition, they can be reassessed and prohibited at any time if necessary,″ Carbonari explained.

The professor also said that using agrochemicals and new molecules brings environmental benefits, by increasing agricultural productivity with lower application doses.

″The issue is not whether or not to avoid pesticides, but how to use them and make them increasingly safer,″ he explained.

According to him, the average application dose of agrochemicals released on Brazilian crops in the 1970s and 1980s fell 88%, compared to the last ten years.

″The latest products are safer for the consumer. Delaying the arrival of this to the market makes no sense, and we have the opportunity to change that with a new law pending in the Federal Senate,″ he said in conclusion.

CCAS is a non-profit organization comprising professionals who stand out for their technical-scientific activities.

The Council is a civil society organization, private, associative in nature, with no economic purposes.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)