The past decades have seen enormous growth in the agrochemical industry. Its pesticides and fertilisers promise to farmers worldwide an increase in yields and a decrease in labour input. The expansion of the pesticides industry results in tremendous costs to others – in the form of chronic illness, acute injuries, and environmental degradation. Such costs are borne disproportionately by farm and plantation workers in the Global South due to a perilous combination of weak regulation, lack of training and access to information, and meager resources for protective equipment. Agrochemical companies continue to claim that their products are safe when used correctly by farmers and regulated effectively by the state. Advocates have attempted to use litigation as a recourse for challenging the agrochemical industry. Civil litigation against pesticides manufacturers can directly address the injuries suffered from pesticide poisoning, but such lawsuits face a number of challenges and all too often leave workers and farmers without access to an effective remedy. This article explores the potential of complementary litigation which challenges the harmful sales practices of pesticide companies, as well as the precautionary principle, as an alternative to protect pesticide users against hazards.

中文翻译：

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农药业务对健康权利的影响：从法律上挑战“安全使用神话”

在过去的几十年中，农业化学工业取得了巨大的发展。其农药和化肥向全世界的农民保证了单产的增加和劳动力投入的减少。农药工业的扩张给其他人带来了巨大的代价，包括慢性病，急性伤害和环境恶化。由于监管不力，缺乏培训和信息获取以及防护设备资源匮乏等危险因素的结合，全球南方的农场和种植园工人过多地负担了这些费用。农用化学公司继续声称，他们的产品在被农民正确使用并受到国家有效监管的情况下是安全的。提倡者试图利用诉讼作为挑战农用化学工业的手段。针对农药生产商的民事诉讼可以直接解决农药中毒造成的伤害，但是此类诉讼面临着许多挑战，而且常常使工人和农民无法获得有效的补救措施。本文探讨了补充诉讼的潜力，该诉讼挑战了农药公司有害的销售行为以及预防原则，可以作为保护农药使用者免受危害的替代方法。