From Food Security to Bill nº 260/2020: Problematizing the proposal of the government of Rio Grande do Sul which amended the State Pesticide Law

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss the proposal of the government of Rio Grande do Sul to change the State Law on Pesticides. It is known that, since 1982, Law nº 7.747 restricts, within the territorial scope of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the use of pesticides prohibited in its country of origin/production. With Bill nº 260/2020, the State Executive Branch intends to remove this restriction, favoring the increased use of highly questionable pesticides in Rio Grande do Sul's soil. The initial approach of this academic work is made in light of the right to food security of the people of Rio Grande do Sul, which must be seen and respected as an unavailable human right. The method applied in this article is that of document analysis, based on both a theoretical-abstract reflection and an empirical observation on a given event, that is, the proposal for legislative change, which should be read as a setback. The conclusion of this work is that this legislative change benefits sectors of agribusiness, however, goes against the food security of the people of Rio Grande do Sul, which is already a reason to expand social participation and discussion about this bill.