STJ event in Brasília will discuss agribusiness law

nila44

Typical agribusiness contracts, entrepreneurs and the world scenario. These are the points that will be discussed at the Agribusiness in the Interpretation of the Superior Court of Justice Symposium, which will be held on September 26th, in the court's auditorium, in Brasília, from 8:30 am to 1 pm. It is the first time that the court has discussed the topic.


According to minister Luís Felipe Salomão, one of the scientific coordinators of the event, the objective of the meeting is to learn more about the sector. “It is a strong sector in the economy and we have not yet been able to hold a discussion of specific topics in an important segment for the country's economy”, he explained.

For the minister, even if there are older decisions, it is important to know the follow-up. “It’s precisely about knowing better, knowing in more depth. There were several decisions and some important B2B Lead ones. It is not possible to know if there will be modulation. I want to improve better to judge better,” he said.

The STJ's decisions can directly impact the entire national agribusiness chain. These are decisions that point in which direction the law should be applied. “There is sensitivity in the assessment of these topics, after all, the safer and more correct the application of laws, the more favorable the legal and economic environment, especially for this fundamental sector of the Brazilian economy”, he highlighted.

Funrural MP
The most recent court decision linked to the sector was in May, when the Federal Supreme Court reaffirmed the constitutionality of the contribution to the Rural Worker Assistance Fund, Funrural. In this way, the fund's liabilities continue to exist, as well as the collection of social security charges. The decision was expected as a way to put an end to one of the items that caused legal uncertainty for rural producers, according to those who filed the lawsuits.

The Plenary rejected eight motions for clarification presented by owners and associations in the sector who intended to reverse the decision that defined the charge as constitutional — a type of specific pension for rural workers. In the opinion of the ministers, the measure is unnecessary because there is no change in the court's jurisprudence in relation to the topic. They also ruled out the possibility of modulation in this case.



Older court decisions have affected the dynamics of the sector. Sugarcane, for example, ranks third among the most cultivated products in Brazil.

In a decision in March 2012, the Second Panel of the STJ banned the burning of sugarcane straw in the municipality of Jaú, in the interior of São Paulo. The practice of burning straw is quite traditional, as it facilitates manual harvesting of sugarcane. But the STJ accepted the arguments of the São Paulo Public Ministry, which stated that the procedure causes intense damage to the environment.

In 2007, the then president of the House, minister Raphael de Barros Monteiro Filho, suspended the sale of genetically modified corn in the North and Northeast regions.