Why Brazil has a big appetite for risky pesticides

Brazil passed the United States as the largest buyer of pesticides

Brazil became an enticing market for pesticides banned or phased out in richer nations because of health or environmental risks.

The farmers of Brazil have become the world’s top exporters of sugar, orange juice, coffee, beef, poultry and soybeans. They’ve also earned a more dubious distinction: In 2012, Brazil passed the United States as the largest buyer of pesticides.

In this farming superpower, agricultural chemicals – including paraquat – face lax regulation. And in the rural northeast, rampant use has led to sickness and violence. ”

Continue reading Why Brazil has a big appetite for risky pesticides,
by Paulo Prada on Reuters. April 2, 2015.

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