Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
Bayer chose Brazil to launch in 2028 icafolin-methyl, a new pesticide designed to complement glyphosate in eliminating resistant weeds in soybean and corn crops. According to information from Revista Fórum, the product has already received toxicological approval from Anvisa, but still depends on the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Ibama to start sales in the country, with an initial revenue projection of R$ 4 billion.
The new pesticide was developed by the German multinational Bayer, which used artificial intelligence to create an unprecedented chemical class for weed control, the first innovation of its kind in more than three decades in the sector. When the product will hit the market: the forecast is 2028, with Brazil as the priority country for the global launch. How icafolin works: it acts differently from glyphosate, blocking tubulin, an essential structure of invasive plants, which interrupts growth and kills the weed through a mechanism that glyphosate-resistant pests cannot yet circumvent. Why Brazil was chosen: the country is the largest consumer of pesticides in the world, faces increasing pest resistance to conventional pesticides, and represents the most profitable market for herbicides in global agriculture.
The launch of the new pesticide occurs in a delicate context for Bayer. Roundup, a product based on glyphosate, is the subject of 192,000 lawsuits in the United States and has already cost the company more than $11 billion in indemnities and legal settlements. More than 60,000 actions are still pending in American courts, associating the herbicide with risks to human health, including cancer. Activists and experts warn that icafolin needs to be rigorously evaluated before entering the market, and the American NGO U.S. PIRG stated: “Before using new chemicals, we need to be absolutely sure they are safe.”
What is icafolin and how it differs from glyphosate
Icafolin-methyl is a herbicide that belongs to an entirely new chemical class, developed by Bayer with the aid of artificial intelligence. While glyphosate works by inhibiting an enzyme essential for the production of amino acids in plants (EPSPS), icafolin blocks tubulin, a structural protein that plant cells need to divide and grow. By targeting a different site than glyphosate, the new pesticide can eliminate weeds that have already developed resistance to the most widely used herbicide in the world.
-
Giant load of VHP sugar comes under PF scrutiny after sand is suspected during inspection at the Port of Paranaguá
-
China hits the brakes and changes the soybean game, reduces import forecast and puts corn at the center of the new agricultural harvest.
-
European Union excludes Brazil from the list of countries authorized to export meat and animal products to the bloc. The measure takes effect on September 3 and is linked to sanitary requirements regarding the use of antibiotics in Brazilian livestock.
-
China has deployed humanoid robots to work in the harvesting, transportation, and roasting of tea in the mountains of Fujian, using thermal imaging to precisely control the temperature of the leaves, in a demonstration that revealed both the advancements and the limitations of robotics in real production environments.
Bayer positions icafolin not as a substitute, but as a complement to glyphosate. The idea is that both products are used together, attacking invasive plants through two distinct mechanisms at the same time. This combination approach is common in industrial agriculture and aims to delay the emergence of resistance in pests. However, international experts warn that the logic of stacking pesticides may generate new forms of resistance in the medium and long term, repeating the cycle that made glyphosate partially ineffective.
Anvisa’s approval and what is still missing
Icafolin has already undergone toxicological evaluation by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), which established daily intake limits for the new pesticide. According to available information, the defined limits are similar to those of glyphosate, but rural workers’ exposure to icafolin could be up to three times higher than that recorded with the current herbicide. This raises concerns about the occupational safety of applicators who directly handle the products in the fields.
Anvisa’s approval is just one of the three regulatory steps necessary for the sale of the pesticide in Brazil. The product still depends on the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), which evaluates agronomic efficacy, and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), which analyzes environmental impacts. Until these approvals are granted, Bayer can conduct field tests in the country but cannot market the product.
R$ 4 billion in projected sales and the financial pressure on Bayer
The launch of icafolin is not just a technical decision. Bayer projects initial sales of R$ 4 billion with the new pesticide, a revenue that would be crucial to offset the accumulated losses from Roundup lawsuits in the United States. The company has already spent over US$ 11 billion in settlements and compensations and still faces more than 60,000 pending lawsuits, which pressures its finances and forces the search for new revenue sources.
Brazil, as the largest consumer of pesticides in the world, is the natural market to absorb a launch of this magnitude. Brazilian soybean and corn crops, which together occupy tens of millions of hectares, use herbicides on a scale that no other country approaches. For Bayer, introducing icafolin in Brazil before any other market means ensuring sales volume from day one and using the results to support the launch in other producing countries.
Resistant seeds: the technological package that repeats
While awaiting full approval of the pesticide, Bayer has already applied for patents on genetically modified seeds to be resistant to icafolin. This strategy replicates the Roundup Ready model, where the company sells the herbicide along with the seeds that survive it, creating a technology package that makes the farmer dependent on both products. Those who buy the seed need to buy the herbicide, and those who use the herbicide need the resistant seeds.
International experts warn that this closed package approach can generate new resistances and unforeseen environmental impacts. The case of dicamba in the United States serves as a reference: another herbicide launched with resistant seeds, dicamba caused damage to neighboring crops due to product volatilization and generated billion-dollar lawsuits against Bayer and BASF. The repetition of the model raises the question of whether icafolin will follow the same path or if the company has learned from previous mistakes.
The debate between innovation and precaution
Icafolin is presented by Bayer as the first innovation in chemical weed control in over 30 years. The use of artificial intelligence in the development of the molecule represents a technical advance that can redefine how new pesticides are discovered, accelerating processes that previously took decades and identifying biological targets that human researchers might not find. From a scientific standpoint, it is a milestone.
From the perspective of public health and the environment, however, the speed of innovation cannot surpass the speed of risk assessment. The exposure of rural workers up to three times greater than that of glyphosate, according to Anvisa’s own data, is a signal that requires attention before millions of liters of the product are applied to Brazilian crops. The fact that the pesticide was created with artificial intelligence does not automatically guarantee that it is safe for those who handle it or for the ecosystems that receive its residues.
A new pesticide, the same old questions
Bayer chose Brazil to launch in 2028 icafolin, a new pesticide created with artificial intelligence that promises to solve glyphosate resistance. The product already has Anvisa’s approval, projects R$ 4 billion in sales, and repeats the technology package model with resistant seeds. Meanwhile, the company still faces 60,000 lawsuits over Roundup, and experts call for caution before releasing another molecule to the fields of the world’s largest pesticide consumer.
What do you think about Brazil being chosen as the first market for a new pesticide? Tell us in the comments if you believe icafolin can be safer than glyphosate, how you evaluate the closed package strategy with resistant seeds, and if the country should require more studies before approving commercialization. We want to hear your opinion.
Be the first to react!