A group of MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement) protesters protested this Friday (10) at Bayer’s headquarters in Jacareí (90 km from São Paulo) against the production and use of pesticides in the country’s agriculture.
Formed by about 100 protesters from Juventude Sem Terra, the group set fire to tires next to a structure with the Bayer symbol, spray-painted walls and held an act at the company’s entrance.
In a statement, Bayer condemned the damage caused by the demonstration and said that violent action is unacceptable in a democratic society.
“We strongly condemn the violence and damage committed during the demonstration at Bayer’s offices. We are always open to dialogue and transparency, but violent action is unacceptable in a democratic society, and totally contrary to our values,” he said.
The protest in Jacareí is part of a series of actions by the National Day of the Landless Youth that aims to denounce the environmental and social impacts of agribusiness.
“The action expresses the strength and organizational capacity of the youth around our Popular Agrarian Reform agenda and also the intention to denounce the environmental crimes of agribusiness and the deaths committed by poisoning by the pesticides produced within this company”, said Maurício Arante, of the MST Youth Collective.
Demonstrations also took place in the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro around the environmental issue.
In a note on the protest, the MST highlighted that Bayer imports substances into Brazil that are banned in other parts of the world and that glyphosate-based herbicides pose a risk to human and environmental health.
The company also said it understands the protesters’ concerns, but defended the use of agricultural pesticides.
“We need seeds with innovative technology, crop protection and digital solutions to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time: producing enough food for a growing world population using fewer resources,” it said in a statement.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
