A new court ruling limits the spraying of pesticides in Salta

Salta Justice banned spraying pesticides in a town surrounded by soybeans.

Antillas is a small town located in the north of Argentina that is literally surrounded by soybeans. Monoculture reaches the front of the houses, and even three meters from the school. They also get the spraying, they sprayed the yard where students play sports, first aid room and the homes of neighbors.

The Correctional Court Judicial District 2 South took a step unprecedented in the province and banned the spraying in the vicinity of houses. No aircraft may be fumigated with less than 1500 meters and not less than 300 if the sprays are terrestrial. The lawsuit had pointed to glyphosate and endosulfan (two of the most used on soybeans), but the sentence banned all fumigations. There are six provinces with sentences that limit the use of pesticides.

In Antillas live thousands of people. Companies Cusillos S.R.L. and Gramas S.A. have 5000 hectares of monoculture. For five years, complaints from neighbors have repeated: respiratory problems, allergies, toxicity, death of animals and burned vegetation (garden plants and fruit trees).

The Court decision highlights the livestock farming in the area and its economic importance, but stresses the need for having "special emphasis on caring for the environment so as not to jeopardize the chances of life and development of present and future generations".

The ruling also order the employer to reforest the limits of the field bordering the urban sector (forest shades) and urges the City Council to enact ordinances that limit and control the spraying and to prohibit the transit of spraying machines on the town.

Source: www.pagina12.com.ar