Double Standards and Hazardous Pesticides from Bayer and BASF

The two German agrochemical companies develop and bring to market highly hazardous pesticide active ingredients that damage the health of farmworkers and farmers in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

In their study, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, the INKOTA-netzwerk and PAN Germany show that Bayer and BASF are responsible for the marketing and in some cases the development of at least 33 pesticide active ingredients that pose an acute threat to human health. Many of these active ingredients are lethal even at low doses, others are considered likely carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic. In Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, at least eight of these active ingredients can be found in the pesticide portfolios of the two companies. Among them are glufosinate and spirodiclofen.

Although Bayer had made a public commitment in 2013 to no longer market active ingredients of high acute toxicity (WHO Classes 1A/1B), this continues to happen: among other things, Bayer supplies the active ingredient Fenamiphos to Brazil, which is processed there by another company and marketed as NEMACUR. Despite the great lack of transparency in the international pesticide market, the authors of the study succeeded in proving the hidden trade of this highly hazardous Bayer active ingredient using the example of Fenamiphos. Although, Bayer does not directly sell any pesticides containing the active ingredient, the original Bayer active ingredient fenamiphos reaches the market in Brazil via the pesticide products of other manufacturers.

In order to end the double standards of the international trade in pesticide active ingredients, there needs to be, among other things, a global ban on the production, storage, and trade of highly hazardous pesticide active ingredients.

"Double Standards and Hazardous Pesticides from Bayer and BASF" is a joint study by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, the INKOTA-netzwerk, and PAN Germany.

Further information:

Study: Hazardous pesticides from Bayer and BASF – a global trade with double standards

Study: "False Promises": The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Produced with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and sponsored by Bread for the World with funds from the Church Development Service, from MISEREOR and the Regional Office for Developmental Cooperation of the State of Berlin. The publishers are solely responsible for the content of this publication; the positions presented here do not reflect the opinions of the funding agencies.