Brazilian judicial suspension of glyphosate registrations

A labor court in Brasília has issued a 90-day temporary suspension on all new registrations and authorizations for glyphosate-based herbicides and their derivatives. The ruling, issued by Judge Gustavo Carvalho Chehab, includes products deemed identical through phytosanitary extension or equivalence but does not affect products already registered or authorized for use.

The suspension follows a request by the Labor Public Ministry to ban the production, import, export, and sale of these substances. While the judge denied a total ban, citing the presumption of legality regarding Anvisa’s decision to maintain the active ingredient, the court identified a risk of harm due to expired deadlines for technical reviews under Law No. 14,785/2023.

As part of the judicial order, Anvisa has 20 days to address potential discrepancies in product labeling. Additionally, Ibama must provide environmental assessments and risk maps, while various ministries are required to report on the sanitary, labor, environmental, social, and economic consequences of glyphosate use.

CropLife Brasil, representing the pesticide industry, expressed concern that the measure could create “legal and operational insecurity” and hinder the introduction of modern formulations. The entity argued that safety decisions should rely on scientific criteria from official bodies.