Brazil OKs agrochemicals with weed killer dicamba, banned in the U.S.

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture approved several agriculture products that use the chemical dicamba, a weed killer whose use has been blocked by a court in the United States, according to a notice in the government gazette on Thursday.

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture approved several agriculture products that use the chemical dicamba, a weed killer whose use has been blocked by a court in the United States, according to a notice in the government gazette on Thursday. The ministry approved the registry for six dicamba products from Bayer's Monsanto and several smaller Brazilian companies, according to the notice.

The U.S. court blocked dicamba's use in June, saying that risks associated with the herbicide were understated. Dicamba, sprayed on genetically engineered soybeans and cotton, is known to drift away and damage nearby crops that are not resistant.

The six dicamba products registered in Brazil were classified as "very dangerous to the environment," the gazette said.