Stellungnahme Alan Tygel

Public hearing regarding the export, use, benefits and side effects of pesticides not approvedin the European Union Written Statement Alan Freihof Tygel Brazilian Permanent Campaign Against Pesticides and For Life November 2024 Introduction - Brazilian Context on Pesticides According to FAO data, Brazil is the largest consumer of pesticides in the world. In 2022, 800,000 tons of pesticide active ingredients were consumed in Brazil, according to Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). In 2023, the Brazilian pesticide market was worth almost 21 billion dollars, according to data from Sindiveg (National Union of the Plant Protection Products Industry). These figures have been growing year after year, showing that our country is a rapidly expanding market for agrochemical transnationals. According to Sindiveg, the use of pesticides is highly concentrated in export targeted commodities. Considering the sprayed area of soybeans (55%), corn (18%), sugarcane (4%) and cotton (7%), we have 84% of the use of pesticides concentrated in 4 export targeted crops, mostly cultivated with genetically modified seeds. Data on pesticide poisoning in Brazil is underreported, according to the Ministry of Health. Some of the reasons for underreporting include the difficulty in accessing the health system for people in rural areas, the lack of knowledge of toxicology among care teams, and the fear of reporting cases due to the political power wielded by...