Disposal of illegal pesticides totals 230 tons in 2025.

In 2025, 230 tons of illegal chemical pesticides were incinerated and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner in Brazil. This data comes from the annual report of CropLife Brasil, which monitors the final disposal process of illicit products removed from circulation through joint operations and seizures with public inspection and enforcement agencies. In the last 6 years (2020-2025), approximately 1,6 tons of illegal inputs were destroyed as a result of 49 cooperative actions with the association. This quantity is enough to fill slightly more than 2/3 of an Olympic swimming pool.

“The environmentally sound disposal of illegal inputs, especially chemical pesticides, is an institutional commitment of the country's agricultural technology industry. Leading this process, CropLife Brasil works with federal and state agencies to support inspections and the removal of illicit products from circulation, ensuring that authorities can act without worrying about the final destination of the seized items. Annually, we publish a report illustrating the volume of this damage to the regulated sector. Cooperation is the key to combating this type of crime,” points out Nilto Mendes, manager of Combating Illegal Products at CLB.

The volume destined for destruction in 2025 is 30% lower than the previous year, when the amount reached 330 tons. According to Mendes, the variation reflects the reduction in the amount seized by authorities during that period.

Counterfeiting and Smuggling

The Southeast region leads the ranking of seizures of counterfeit agricultural pesticides in the country, with São Paulo and Minas Gerais standing out. Regarding smuggling, the South and Central-West regions concentrate the majority of cases, especially in border areas with Argentina and Paraguay. Products in these conditions have no proven agronomic efficiency and pose risks of human and environmental contamination, in addition to harming national agricultural production. Regarding the scale of the problem, the Institute for Economic and Social Development of Border Regions (IDESF) estimates that approximately 25% of the agricultural pesticide market in Brazil is illegal.

Destruction and incineration process

In order to be disposed of correctly, illicit agricultural products undergo several procedures, including handling, repackaging, proper storage of the items, and transportation from the Seized Goods Warehouse (DMA) to the final destruction site. This last stage takes place in duly authorized facilities, with an incineration process at temperatures exceeding 900°C.

This process operates in line with the Campo Limpo System of the National Institute for the Processing of Empty Packaging (Inpev), in accordance with the National Solid Waste Policy. 

Confronting illegality

Combating the illegal agricultural market is a permanent commitment of CropLife Brasil, which carries out joint mobilization with actors in the production chain. The organization maintains an active reporting channel on its website for receiving and forwarding information about irregularities. Among its institutional initiatives, CLB, in partnership with Esem/USP, promotes the Training Program in Combating Illicit Markets for Agricultural Inputs, to train professionals in the recognition, seizure, handling, inspection, and investigation of illegalities related to these inputs. The organization also coordinates the Coalition to Combat Illegal Seeds.