Herbicide Drift Costs Southern Brazil’s Wine Industry R$ 210 Million, Halting Investment

The winemaking sector in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul has lost an estimated R$ 210 million—approximately $40.21 million at today’s exchange rate of 5.223 per dollar—due to damage caused by hormonal herbicide drift between 2018 and 2025, according to a new study that highlights a systemic, unmanaged risk in the country’s agricultural heartland. The figure, quantified by researchers from the Consevitis-RS and the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), includes the cost of lost production, higher expenses for crop management, and the need to renew vineyards destroyed by the unwanted movement of chemicals like 2,4-D.

The study analyzed over 400 recorded drift occurrences that collectively affected roughly 700 hectares of vineyards in the state, which is Brazil’s premier wine-producing region. The losses stem from the high sensitivity of grapevines to minute amounts of hormonal herbicides, which are widely used by large-scale grain producers on nearby soybean, corn, and wheat fields to control weeds. The chemical 2,4-D, a synthetic auxin, can drift as small droplets carried by wind during application or even volatize later, traveling for miles to inflict damage on susceptible crops. Exposed vines can suffer severe symptoms like deformed leaves, compromised budding, reduced vigor, and significant yield loss, with effects often lasting several years or requiring complete vineyard replacement.

This recurring problem has moved beyond a simple crop issue to become a major financial risk factor, causing local wine producers to reduce or postpone key investments due to the uncertainty of future incidents. The economic damage projected over the next five years will only compound the issue; researchers estimate an additional R$ 150.1 million in losses, or about $28.74 million, if the problem is not addressed and drift incidents continue at their current pace. The affected regions include the Serra Gaúcha, the state’s key wine tourism hub, where the financial risk threatens development and expansion plans across the entire viticulture chain.

The comprehensive assessment provides what local producers hope is critical technical evidence to guide institutional dialogue and regulatory changes, an urgent need given that a state court had already temporarily banned 2,4-D in the Campanha Gaúcha wine region in late 2025 until stricter application and monitoring rules were implemented. What follows now is a necessary confrontation between two of Brazil’s most powerful agricultural sectors—the grain industry and the wine industry—to find a solution that allows for the co-existence of both, likely through the creation of no-spray buffer zones, mandatory training for applicators, and stricter enforcement protocols.