The Mexican government has announced a comprehensive ban on the use, production, import, and distribution of 35 pesticides. This decisive action targets substances such as 2,4-DB, alachlor, aldicarb, azinphos-methyl, azocyclotin, bioresmethrin, bromuconazole, captafol, carbofuran, carbosulfan, chlordane, chlorpyrifos-methyl, DDT, diclofop-methyl, dinocap, dinoseb, disulfoton, edifenphos, endosulfan, fenarimol, fenitrothion, fenthion, fentoate, flusilazole, phosfamidon, hexachlorocyclohexane, hexaflumuron, lindane, methidathion, fenbutatin oxide, parathion-ethyl, quinalphos, resmethrin, and trichlorfon.
The ban is aimed at safeguarding the health of agricultural workers and consumers, as well as promoting more sustainable agricultural practices nationwide.
The Mexican President stated that this decision fulfills a commitment made at the end of March to prohibit numerous pesticides that, despite still being available on the market, have been banned in many other countries due to their adverse effects on human health and the environment. The implementation of this measure is being coordinated by the Ministry of Health (SS) through the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy (SE), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER).
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development explained that the 33 banned substances are listed in international agreements to which Mexico is a party, including the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions. It was emphasized that the last regulation of this kind was enacted in 1991 and addressed only 21 active ingredients. The Mexican government will continue its efforts to phase out substances incompatible with modern agricultural principles, with plans to announce a second list of banned pesticides in 2026 and a third in 2027.
