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The United States and Brazil lodged separate protests with Thailand over its ban on two farm chemicals earlier this month, documents reviewed by Reuters show, saying the “restrictive” and “serious” move could hurt key agricultural exports.
Bangkok’s pesticide ban could hit U.S. and Brazilian exports of wheat and soy that are worth more than $1 billion a year, according to United Nations data, potentially setting up a diplomatic showdown with Thailand, a leading importer of the commodities from both countries.
The knock-on effect on Thailand’s food chain could also add tens of billions of dollars to costs while slashing millions of jobs, according to one Thai industry estimate.
