Pesticides on drones: residents of Jaqueira (PE) report poisoning

By Isabella Caminoto / 04/11/2022 / 1 minute reading

A special report by Agência Pública, published this Friday (4), denounces the spraying of pesticides carried out by drones in pasture areas belonging to the company Agropecuária Mata Sul, in rural Pernambuco. Residents of the region report headaches, nausea and skin irritation, common symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning. In the report, they say that the spraying also affected the residents' crops and animal husbandry, the communities' main sources of income.

🚨SEVERE: Drones drop pesticides on rural communities and poison residents of Jaqueira in Pernambuco. The region has been experiencing a land conflict between rural communities and Mata Sul since 2018. Via @ public agency

☠#PesticideMata https://t.co/wZFfZGh85z
— Pro-Indian Commission of São Paulo (@proindio) November 4, 2022

According to report of Public Agency, this would be the second time – the first was by helicopter – that aerial spraying of pesticides had reached rural communities in Jaqueira, a municipality about 150 kilometers from Recife. The region has been experiencing a land conflict between rural communities and Mata Sul since 2018, including reports of death threats and attempted murder.

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Affected residents in 3 communities filed police reports with the local civil police and a representation with the Public Ministry of Pernambuco reporting the symptoms presented after the spraying of pesticides and the damage caused to crops and animal husbandry.

Contacted by the report, the Civil Police of Pernambuco stated that the Jaqueira Police Station is investigating the case and that “all necessary steps to clarify the fact are being carried out”.