Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Agrochemical Suit Could Set Precedent

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 2012 (IPS) - The relatives of victims affected by aerial spraying of toxic agrochemicals in the central Argentine province of Córdoba hope the lawsuit filed against two farmers and a fumigator will set a legal precedent. “This is the first time that legal action is being taken over environmental pollution from fumigation. People are now more aware of the problem and a precedent will be set,” one of the plaintiffs, María Godoy, told Tierramérica.

The victims are from the district of Ituzaingó Anexo, where the impacts on the health of the local population from aerial spraying with endosulfan and glyphosate on neighboring fields – backed by medical reports – have been denounced since 2001.

Two farmers and a fumigator are on trial. In early August, the public prosecutor asked for prison sentences for two of the accused and the acquittal of the third for lack of evidence. The verdict will be announced on Aug. 20.