World's best-selling pesticide becomes a target in Brazil, puts Anvisa against the wall, and opens a giant dispute over health, crops, and the environment.

World’s best-selling pesticide becomes a target in Brazil, puts Anvisa against the wall, and opens a giant dispute over health, crops, and the environment.

Written by Viviane Alves

Published on 28/05/2026 at 12:27

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MPT Action Targets Glyphosate Used in Transgenic Soy and Exposes a National Dispute Over Health, Rural Workers, Anvisa’s Oversight, and Environmental Risks

The Public Labor Ministry (MPT) has filed a public civil action against Anvisa and the federal government, requesting the ban of glyphosate in Brazil. The pesticide is considered the best-selling in the world and is mainly found in transgenic soy crops, placing the issue at the center of a dispute over health, agriculture, and environmental oversight.

The action was filed on Friday, 22, in the Labor Court of the Federal District, and claims that the product poses a serious risk to workers’ health, especially rural and indigenous workers. The process also points to possible damages to the environment, such as water contamination, and calls for broad measures against products formulated with the substance.

Action Requests Removal of Glyphosate from Brazilian Market

The MPT’s request goes beyond the cancellation of pesticide registrations based on glyphosate. The action also seeks to prohibit the production, export, import, commercialization, and use of these products in the country.

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Studies Cited Point to Risks to Human Health

The public civil action is based on an opinion from researchers at the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT). The document gathers data and research on the effects of glyphosate on human health.

According to the MPT, academic studies cited in the process relate the use of the substance to 28 types of diseases. Among them are cancer, Alzheimer’s, infertility, autism, depression, diabetes, kidney diseases, and digestive problems.

International Classification Reinforces the Debate on Glyphosate

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), linked to the World Health Organization (WHO), classified glyphosate as potentially carcinogenic to humans. The action also cites a 2015 study from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), which points to possible interference of the substance in important bacteria for the functioning of the human body.

Studies cited in the action associate the product with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast cancer, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. In the United States, Bayer, the manufacturer of glyphosate, faces billion-dollar lawsuits filed by workers who claim to have developed cancer after exposure to the pesticide.

Anvisa is accused of delay in reevaluating substances already in use

The prosecutors accuse Anvisa of accelerating approvals of new pesticides but excessively delaying the review and monitoring of substances already used in the country. The agency stated that it was not notified by the Justice about the action.

Bayer, on the other hand, stated that scientific regulatory authorities in several countries, including Brazil, conclude that glyphosate can be used safely and is not carcinogenic. The company also expressed confidence that science-based facts will prevail throughout the process.

MPT states it seeks less toxic alternatives

Prosecutor Leomar Daroncho, one of the authors of the action, stated that the process originated from a working group created by the MPT in 2023. According to him, the group began to study the impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment.

The work involved researchers from Inca, Fiocruz, and UFMT, institutions that study the subject. Daroncho stated that the objective is not to act against producers. The proposal, according to him, is to find less toxic alternatives and advocate for sustainable development.

The debate now places Brazil before a delicate issue: how to maintain agricultural production without increasing risks to health, the environment, and workers exposed to glyphosate?

World’s best-selling pesticide becomes a target in Brazil, puts Anvisa against the wall, and opens a giant dispute over health, crops, and the environment.

MPT Action Targets Glyphosate Used in Transgenic Soy and Exposes a National Dispute Over Health, Rural Workers, Anvisa’s Oversight, and Environmental Risks

Action Requests Removal of Glyphosate from Brazilian Market

Studies Cited Point to Risks to Human Health

International Classification Reinforces the Debate on Glyphosate

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Anvisa is accused of delay in reevaluating substances already in use

MPT states it seeks less toxic alternatives

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World’s best-selling pesticide becomes a target in Brazil, puts Anvisa against the wall, and opens a giant dispute over health, crops, and the environment.

MPT Action Targets Glyphosate Used in Transgenic Soy and Exposes a National Dispute Over Health, Rural Workers, Anvisa’s Oversight, and Environmental Risks

Action Requests Removal of Glyphosate from Brazilian Market

Studies Cited Point to Risks to Human Health

International Classification Reinforces the Debate on Glyphosate

Conflict in Iran disrupts the global exchange, affects the real, and shows why the rise in oil prices can become an advantage for some and a headache for others.

Anvisa is accused of delay in reevaluating substances already in use

MPT states it seeks less toxic alternatives

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A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

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