A Brazilian judge has issued an injunction to suspend the use of products containing three agrochemicals, including glyphosate, in 30 days in order for the country’s health agency to evaluate their safety. The court did not rule on whether the products, including the fungicide thiram and the insecticide abamectin, cause harm to humans. The Friday ruling in the 2014 case came as a surprise to Monsanto, which manufactures the widely used glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup. The company, which is not a party in the case, pointed to a 40-year track record of glyphosate controlling weeds "effectively, sustainably and safely” and said it expects the government will step in to have the injunction reversed. Monsanto added that glyphosate's safety is “routinely reviewed by regulatory authorities” worldwide, including ANVISA (the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency). In its April 2018 earnings release, Monsanto said it had reached its target in 2017 of having 60 million planted acres of INTACTA RR2 PRO soybeans in South America. Those soybeans are genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate.
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