Colombian court halts experimental glufosinate spraying on coca fields
A Colombian judge ordered a pause on trial aerial spraying of glufosinate-ammonium over coca crops, citing insufficient health and ecological data.
On Friday, a Colombian judge suspended the government’s experimental aerial spraying of glufosinate-ammonium on coca plantations, arguing that available public data do not adequately exclude risks to human health or ecosystems in the Putumayo Amazon. The anti-narcotics police had announced temporary trials of the herbicide, a move supported by President Abelardo de la Espriella, who promised to intensify drug-crop eradication.
The World Health Organization classifies glufosinate-ammonium as a moderate health risk, and the court highlighted the lack of sufficient information. The decision follows a legal challenge filed by Jonathan Meneses of the human-rights NGO Tiempo de Cambios, who expressed opposition to large-scale chemical use. Colombia previously halted glyphosate spraying in 2015 after WHO labeled it probably carcinogenic. The suspension adds to ongoing tensions between drug-control policies and rural communities, including Afro-Colombian and indigenous groups.
Why it matters
It blocks a controversial drug-eradication method that could affect health and the environment in Colombia’s Amazon region.
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