Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Referendum on Agro-Chemical Plant

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Jun 28 2010 (IPS) - Residents of Casilda, in the eastern Argentine province of Santa Fe, will gather at the voting booths in July to vote on whether an agro-chemical factory can be built in their town. The advisory council of the town's environmental commission advised against the factory proposed by the cooperative, Federated Argentine Farmers.

“They are going to manufacture and package fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers, which are substances with high environmental impact and a risk for the population,” council member Claudia Nigro, a veterinarian, told Tierramérica.

Faced with the controversy, the local legislature ordered the referendum to take place between Jul. 26 and 30. It will not be a binding decision, but the municipal government has said it will respect the vote of the citizens in this town of 40,000.