URU, Alm.del - 2018-19 (2. samling) - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 47: Spm. om, hvilke politiske budskaber der er blevet overleveret til den argentinske regering i forbindelse med løbende bilaterale dialoger med argentinske myndigheder, til ministeren for fødevarer, fiskeri og ligestilling

Udenrigsudvalget 2018-19 (2. samling)
URU Alm.del
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1. Regarding the approval of pesticides in Argentina: Does the country have any particular

national legislation on pesticide evaluation and approval (as in the EU)? If yes, is this

system of legislation and approval regulated by a national authority? If so, what is the

name and contact information of that authority?

The

National Agrifood Health and Quality Service

(Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad

Agroalimentaria

–SENASA-)

constitutes the core of the national regulatory system for

phytosanitary matters. This is the body responsible for ensuring that only phytosanitary

products, whose risks have been properly assessed, are marketed for expressly permitted

uses.

The agency was created at the end of the 19th century to guarantee the safety of the

country's exports and, after successive institutional adjustments (such as the merger of the

animal health agency with that of plant health in the 1990s), it is currently regulated by Law

27.233 and multiple resolutions that organize their work.

For a phytosanitary product to be marketed or applied in Argentina,

either experimentally

or for commercial purposes,

it must be registered in the National Register of Plant

Therapeutics,

in accordance with the provisions of Decree Nº 3489/58 and Decree Nº

5769/59, in the terms of the Manual of Procedures, Criteria and Scope for the Registration of

Phytosanitary Products in the Argentine Republic, approved by Resolution SAGPYA Nº

350/99. The aforementioned Resolution adopts for Argentina the

Fifth Edition of the

MANUAL ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF FAO SPECIFICATIONS FOR PRODUCTS

INTENDED FOR THE PROTECTION OF PLANTS.

This is a procedure for evaluating sufficient

scientific data to demonstrate that the product is effective for its intended purpose and does

not entail undue risks to health and the environment. The information related to the

physical, chemical, toxicological, ecotoxicological and waste properties must come from tests

or studies carried out on the phytosanitary products to be registered or their equivalents,

according to

internationally recognized protocols,

among which are the

OECD Guidelines

acute oral toxicity, acute dermal toxicity, inhalation classification, dermal irritation, eye

irritation and skin sensitization, for product analysis.

That phytosanitary product presented by a registrant before SENASA, which meets all the

requirements established by the aforementioned Resolution Nº 350/99, obtains a

Certificate

of Use and Marketing

that enables the product to be used for all those uses for which it was

registered, and the registrant to market it throughout the National Territory.

The legislation and approval system is regulated by SENASA.

The contact authority is the

Directorate of Agrochemical and Biological

under the National

Directorate of Plant Protection:

[email protected].

The contact details of SENASA are:

Av. Paseo Colón No. 367 (ACD1063), Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tel:

(+54 1) 4121-5000 / 0800-999-2386.

2. Is Argentina currently in the process of prohibiting and eliminating the use of the

pesticides paraquat, atrazine and glyphosate?

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/senasa)

URU, Alm.del - 2018-19 (2. samling) - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 47: Spm. om, hvilke politiske budskaber der er blevet overleveret til den argentinske regering i forbindelse med løbende bilaterale dialoger med argentinske myndigheder, til ministeren for fødevarer, fiskeri og ligestilling

In Argentina, authorized phytosanitary products with their corresponding maximum residue

limits (MRLs) are in accordance with

current international standards

(Codex Alimentarius)

and are based on sound scientific evidence after

complete risk assessments.

At the moment, Argentina is not considering banning the use of pesticides such as paraquat,

atrazine and glyphosate, since the approvals of these substances are based on scientific

evidence about their safety under responsible use.

In the case of

glyphosate,

whose renovation has been approved by the European Union until

December 2022, it is a safe and effective product when used correctly by farmers. This is

endorsed by Codex Alimentarius, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), the European

Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National

Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the joint FAO / WHO meeting, as

well as other national agencies around the world.

As for

atrazine,

it should be clarified that Argentina does not authorize its use for the

cultivation of soybeans.

As for

paraquat,

its use is authorized in soybean cultivation, in line with Codex.

3. Does Argentina have a national legislation for the protection of workers regarding the

use of pesticides?

The country has

safety and hygiene regulations in the agricultural sector.

The regulations in

force in 2019 are:

•

Decree 617/1997: Hygiene and Safety Regulations for Agricultural Activity. (B.O.

11/07/1997) of Law 19.587 on Occupational Health and Safety;

•

Law 25.739 approving the Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001

–num.

184–. (B.O. 06/24/2003) Ratified June 26, 2006;

•

Law 26.727: Agricultural Labor Regime. Title VII: Safety and risks at work (B.O.

11/28/2011);

•

Resolution 11/2011 of the National Agricultural Labor Commission (CNTA): General

Working Conditions for temporary, cyclic and seasonal agricultural workers. (B.O.

04/11/2011);

•

Resolution 46/2011 CNTA: General Working Conditions for temporary agricultural

workers who work in seed activity. (B.O. 08/16/2011)

The

National Agricultural Labor Commission

(Comisión Nacional de Trabajo Agrario CNTA) is

empowered to establish the hygiene and safety conditions that must be met by workplaces,

machinery, tools and other work items. This Commission is obliged to observe the pauses

and limitations to the duration of the work, and adopt the necessary measures that,

according to the type of work, experience and technique, are necessary to protect the

psycho-physical integrity and dignity of the workers, and must prevent accidents and

damages to health that are a consequence of work, are related to work activity or occur

during work, by eliminating, minimizing or controlling the risks inherent to the work

environment in agriculture.

The regulations establish the obligation for employers to have occupational health and safety

and hygiene services, in the cases and with the modalities determined by the

Superintendence of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo

–

SRT-), and

to provide the worker with personal protection elements when its use is necessary for

operational reasons of the work in accordance with the provisions of CNTA. In addition to

cases in which the worker must perform dangerous tasks to his health, the employer must

instruct him on the appropriate forms of work, and in those tasks that involve the

performance of processes or manipulation of toxic, irritating or aggressive substances in any

of its ways, the cleaning of contaminated clothing will be the responsibility of the employer.

As for the packages that contain or have contained chemical or biological substances, they

should be stored in specially marked places. The treatment of hazardous waste must be

carried out in accordance with current regulations and resolutions issued by the CNTA in

consultation with the competent jurisdictional bodies.

4. What is the opinion of the Argentine government about the use of pesticides in soy

production, and what is your point of view about the possible connection between soy

production and deforestation?

(a) Regarding the use of pesticides in soybean production:

Argentine has been incorporating new technologies in order to develop a more sustainable

agriculture. Phytosanitary products are one of the technologies that have been adopted to

prevent and control pests or diseases more efficiently and with lower toxicity levels.

Responsible and safe management of phytosanitary products requires rules and good

practices in their use so as not to affect human health or the environment, and their

management must be sensitive to the concerns of society. The danger of these substances

varies according to their degree of toxicity and formulation, and the risk to human health and

the environment associated with their use depends on the doses used, the mixtures, the

climatic conditions at the time of application, the type and condition of the applicator

equipment, suitability of the operator of the application equipment and the form and degree

of exposure. All these aspects are contemplated in the regulation and in the development of

standards of good agricultural practices.

The use of phytosanitary products in the country shows three significant trends. First, the

increase in the total volume used (expressed in total liters / kg) almost tripled since the early

1990s: the increase in the area sown (increased from 16.4 to 36.6 million hectares between

1990 and 2017 ) and the widespread adoption of no-till farming that replaced the mechanical

control of weeds and some pests. Second, approximately

80% of the phytosanitary volume

used today in agricultural production corresponds to the lowest toxicological classification

(green band).

The risk of contamination of the set of phytosanitary products used has

dropped sharply with respect to the 80s. Third, the increase in the

adoption of precision

farming

has meant incorporating technology that by definition optimizes the use of inputs

(whether they are phytosanitary, fertilizers, seeds, etc.), which results in the most careful and

efficient use of each of them. Additionally,

the selective application of phytosanitary

products, specifically used for weed control during fallowing, allows the amount of

phytosanitary products used per hectare to be reduced between fifty (50) and seventy (70)

percent (%),

since application is limited to specific sites in the area to be treated.

The

promotion of good agricultural practices, including the correct use and management of

phytosanitary products, is a long-standing national policy.

Among the national policies and

actions to promote and control the use of phytosanitary products, it is worth mentioning:

•

Joint Resolution Nº 1/2018

of the Ministries of Environment and Sustainable

Development and of Agroindustry, which establishes that, within the scope of their

respective competences, the activities of application of phytosanitary products for

agriculture in agricultural activity in general, and especially in

buffer zones,

they must be

carried out in accordance with good agricultural practices and subject to adequate control

and monitoring systems. It establishes a

working group

that includes the Ministry of Health

and the Ministry of Science and Technology to improve the adoption of good practices and

more effective monitoring and control. This working group delivered to the four Ministries a

document with 12 principles and 23 recommendations to improve public policies regarding

phytosanitary applications.

The document has been submitted for public consultation and is

a reference for national, provincial and municipal authorities with competence in the subject.

•

The

Health Entities,

public-private figure created by

Law 27.233

as a mechanism

which complements SENASA, through which, alliances of civil associations, academic or

professional entities and public bodies are empowered to strengthen the implementation of

the law, programs and research. The law imposes obligations on producers as the main

responsible for the applications.

•

The incorporation of the

obligation of good practices in the production of fresh

fruits and vegetables

in the Argentine Food Code, a process that is expected to enter into

force from 2020 on fruits and 2021 on vegetables.

•

The Undersecretariat of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agroindustry of the Nation,

together with numerous organizations and municipalities, conducts demonstration and

training courses,

aimed at guaranteeing a rational and responsible use of phytosanitary

products and promoting good practices in the use and application of phytosanitary products,

with emphasis on the techniques and equipment used.

•

The

Network of Good Agricultural Practices

(Red de Buenas Prácticas

Agropecuarias

–Red

BPA-)

, a public-private sphere for the exchange of information, inter-

institutional dialogue and cooperation on good practices. The Network is made up of more

than 90 organizations from the private and public sectors. It represents almost all sectors

linked to agricultural production, and it has generated guidelines and technical

recommendations for producers and authorities.

•

The voluntary standards of the Argentine Institute for Standardization and

Certification,

IRAM, Nº 14.110 on Good Agricultural Practices and Nº 14.130 on Good

Practices for Agricultural Work.

•

Law 27.279 of Minimum Environmental Protection Budgets for the Management

of Empty Phytosanitary Containers,

enacted in October 2016, regulates the destination of

these containers in the national territory.

http://www.agroindustria.gob.ar/sitio/areas/fitosanitarios/buenas_practicas/

http://www.redbpa.org.ar/

•

In addition, according to national regulations,

Argentina participates in the

preparation of the International Code of Conduct for Pesticide Management of the Food

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The rapid technological innovation in agriculture requires a constantly evolving information

base, and the ability to turn knowledge into techniques that improve the environmental

performance of the activity. The

National Institute of Agricultural Technology

(INTA) is at

the center of public research, development and innovation efforts in this area. INTA

addresses the issue of applications of phytosanitary products within the framework of a

multiplicity of programs, projects and initiatives, such as the National Agribusiness and Value

Added, Fruit, Plant Protection and Natural Resources, Environmental Management and

Ecoregions programs.

(b) Regarding the point of view on the possible connection between soybean production

and deforestation:

Argentina recognizes deforestation as an important challenge and is acting accordingly. The

deforestation rate reached its peak in 2008, when the law of conservation of native forests

comes into force, after which it falls sharply.

The trend is positive but we are not satisfied

yet, and ending deforestation is state policy. Currently, the change in land use represents

13% of Argentina's total greenhouse gas emissions, and the country has established

significant reduction targets in this sector, including avoided deforestation and restoration of

degraded forests.

Law 26.331 on conservation and sustainable use of native forests

establishes, among other regulations, their categorization into three types: conservation

(19% of native forests), sustainable use (60%) and forests that can be converted (21 %).

In this context,

establishing a direct connection between a particular product and

deforestation is not useful for public policies and lacks methodological rigor.

Forest

pressures are multi-causal, the expansion of the agricultural frontier, minor and major

livestock, urbanization and infrastructure, timber extraction and forest fires. Each of these

factors has a different incidence at different times. Additionally,

more than 80% of the

volume of soybean production comes from areas that were never forests or that

underwent conversions many years ago,

in addition to the fact that soybeans are produced

in rotation with other crops. Compliance with the law and the implementation of best

agricultural practices are the main pillars of national policy in this area.

5. Does Argentina have a position on the research reflected in the article, which argues that

A ge ti a uses u li ited ua tities of pesti ides a d the espe tive o se ue es fo

the population exposed to them?

a Rega di g the u li ited ua tities of pesti ides:

As mentioned above, the increasing

level of adoption of

technology linked to precision agriculture and environments implies

the optimization of the use of resources

for economic reasons and good practices. The

wastefulness has no place in that context and phytosanitary applications are consistent with

the recommendations established in the labels or tags that must be attached to the

packaging of these products. The same goes for the increasing diffusion of selective

application, aimed at reducing the volume of phytosanitary products applied per hectare. In

summary, in the context of Argentine agriculture

the e is o pla e fo the use of u li ited

ua tities

of any input, including phytosanitary products.

Rega di g the o se ue es fo the populatio

Argentina bases its policies on the

best available scientific knowledge, information that does not endorse the assertions of

the article, and has institutions to that effect:

•

Agricultural products and by-products that are imported or produced locally for

internal consumption must comply with the

maximum residue limits

of agrochemicals

established in Resolution SENASA Nº 934/2010, which in its Annex I establishes for a long list

of active ingredients the residue in terms of mg / kg of product, and establishes a default

value of 0.01 mg / kg corresponding to the detection limit of the analysis method for the

active ingredients not listed.

•

For chemical compounds that are already prohibited, but because of their

persistence they can still be found in the products, the country adopts the values established

by the Codex Alimentarius as maximum residue limits.

•

SENASA has a

system of laboratories specialized in analytical controls

of animal

and plant health, food safety and the quality of agricultural products, by-products and

supplies. The system comprises 18 SENASA laboratories and a national network of more than

400 laboratories

throughout the country in which the necessary studies are carried out to

detect contaminating or residual substances in products, by-products and derivatives of

animal and / or plant origin, to ensure food safety.

•

The country has a

National Health Surveillance System

, a network of timely

notification and communication between the different actors involved in the surveillance,

prevention and control of risks and damages that allows guiding the actions of prevention

and control as well as serving the determination of priorities in health.

•

The Public Health area also has

national registries of cancer and congenital

diseases:

the Argentine Oncopediatric Registry (ROHA)

the Institutional Registry of Tumors

of Argentina (RITA)

y the National Registry of Congenital Abnormalities (RENAC AC).

The

Service periodically publishes an integrated epidemiological surveillance bulletin.

•

To this must be added efforts made at the

provincial level,

among which the report

Cancer: Incidence and Mortality in Córdoba. 2004-2013 of the Ministry of Health of the

Province of Córdoba.

•

Additionally, the

National Council for Scientific and Technical Research

(CONICET)

carries out scientific evaluations and research at the request of the authorities, for example

on phytosanitary drift and exposure of the population, or on the state of knowledge about

glyphosate risks. It has a Food Security Network, a mechanism for scientific consultation for

http://www.msal.gob.ar/index.php/home/funciones/area-de-vigilancia

http://www.msal.gob.ar/images/stories/bes/graficos/0000001365cnt-registro-oncopediatrico-argentino-

digital.pdf

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/salud/instituto-nacional-del-cancer/institucional/rita

http://www.msal.gob.ar/images/stories/bes/graficos/0000000955cnt-2017-04-21-presentacion-avances-y-

resultador-periodo-2012-15.pdf

http://www.anlis.gov.ar/cenagem/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1-REPORTE-RENAC-2018-formato-web.pdf

Available at:

http://www.cba.gov.ar/wp-content/4p96humuzp/2018/02/PUBLICACION-REGISTRO-DE-

TUMORES-2004-2013.pdf.

decision-making, in which framework consultations are carried out related to the impact of

phytosanitary products

https://rsa.conicet.gov.ar/