At Bayer’s Annual General Meeting on April 24, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) called on the Bayer Group to take responsibility for the danger posed to Indigenous Peoples by pesticides banned in the EU and to stop exporting these pesticides. The human rights organization has been criticizing for years that Bayer profits from the pesticide problems in Brazil and the health risks to which indigenous communities are exposed as a result.
“Brazil has been a target market for particularly problematic pesticides for years. This raises a simple but urgent question: What responsibility does Bayer assume when people are poisoned and suffer health damage due to the use of its pesticides?” asked a representative of the STP in a statement during the annual general meeting.
The STP emphasizes that indigenous communities are exposed to increasing pesticide contamination. One case that illustrates the threat is that of the Avá-Guarani in western Paraná. There, glyphosate and its breakdown product AMPA have been detected in water sources. Those affected report health complaints such as vomiting, headaches, and irritation. These allegations are now part of a formal complaint against Bayer under the OECD Guidelines.
“This is not just about a single case,” emphasizes Dr. Eliane Fernandes, Advisor on Indigenous Peoples at STP. Human rights and health organizations have been documenting for years that pesticides in indigenous areas contaminate water, soil, food crops, medicinal plants, and biodiversity. In a 2021 report, STP documented several cases in which pesticides were applied negligently or even intentionally in the immediate vicinity of or directly onto indigenous settlements.
“Since the acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer has been part of an agro-industrial model based on glyphosate-resistant crops, herbicide-intensive agriculture, and the expansion of monocultures. This model has consequences. It creates dependencies, it destroys biodiversity, it exacerbates conflicts over land and water, and it disproportionately affects Indigenous communities,” said Fernandes.
During the Annual General Meeting, the STP appealed to Bayer: “Do not hide behind the claim that it is all just a matter of proper application. Indigenous Peoples have the right to health, to clean water, to healthy food, to their uncontaminated land, and to the protection of their livelihoods. Ensure genuine transparency. Ensure effective protection. Ensure that human rights are not merely mentioned in sustainability reports but are reflected in your actions. Stop the export of highly toxic pesticides.”
The STP’s speaking time during the Bayer Annual General Meeting was organized by the Coordination against BAYER Dangers (CBG) and made available by the Critical Shareholders.
The statement was drafted by Dr. Eliane Fernandes, Advisor on Indigenous Peoples, and delivered by STP Officer Gerrit Hofert during the Annual General Meeting.
This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.
Contact: Dr. Eliane Fernandes, Advisor on Indigenous Peoples – 65]G378oD65?2?C67]6