Dispositivos legais de registro e controle do uso de agrotóxicos no Brasil: um estudo de caso no Estado do Tocantins

Abstract

Pesticide use represents one of the main environmental and public health problems in developing countries. Brazil is the third largest world consumer of pesticides, the eighth in usage per hectare and the largest in Latin America. This study aims to evaluate the legal framework for the registration and control of pesticide use in Brazil, comparing it with the legal framework of the European Union, taking in consideration procedures to diminish health and environmental risks. Besides that, we identified active ingredients that are still in use in Brazil but are banned or in process of re-registration in European Union. As an indicator of legal accomplishment we undertake a case study in Tocantins state taking in account the number of technicians responsible for pesticide inspections and the total number of farms and pesticides retailers. This study revealed that the registration process is the main element for pesticide control in Brazil, once establishes procedures for production, trade and handling of these products. When comparing both legislation frameworks, Brazilian and European, the last one is more strict and efficient in terms of use control. In spite of Brazil adopts the agronomic recipes, an important element for pesticide control, it constitutes only a bureaucratic piece without effects on health and environmental risk reduction. Several pesticides banned in Europe are still in use in Brazil and in Tocantins State. Even with almost all Brazilian states have specific legislation for pesticides (Amazonas and Roraima states are exceptions) this legal framework is only a copy of the federal law without more strict restriction related with the characteristics of the ecosystems like Pantanal, the Amazon or Semiarid. We concluded that the registration and control system of pesticide use in Brazil is weak, with several gaps and the figure of law noncompliance.