Colombian Judge Halts Government Aerial Spraying Plan In Putumayo

A Colombian judge has ordered the immediate suspension of a government pilot program for aerial spraying of illicit crops in Putumayo, citing concerns over its effects on farming communities and the environment.

A Colombian court has suspended a government pilot program for aerial spraying of illicit crops in Putumayo. Photo: @NoticiasCaracol

September 12, 2026 Hour: 5:15 am

A court ordered an immediate suspension of aerial spraying under a pilot program aimed at eradicating illicit crops.

A Colombian judge has suspended a government pilot program for aerial spraying of illicit crops in the southern department of Putumayo, citing the potential harmful effects of the operation on farming communities and the environment.

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The Third Promiscuous Circuit Court of Puerto Asís granted a provisional measure requested in a legal action filed by a citizen, ordering the immediate suspension of any aerial spraying activity within the department’s jurisdiction.

The pilot program, promoted by President Abelardo De la Espriella’s government, was intended to test a method that could have reopened the use of aerial herbicide spraying, a practice suspended since 2017 over health and environmental concerns.

The project called for the use of ammonium glufosinate, a herbicide that is not currently permitted in the European Union and is classified by the World Health Organization as moderately hazardous.

Text Reads: 📌 A judge in Colombia has halted a government-led plan to fumigate illicit crops. The ruling, issued by the Third Mixed Circuit Court of Puerto Asís, orders the immediate suspension of any aerial spraying activities in the Putumayo department due to the harmful effects on rural communities and the environment. 🔴 The pilot program—which would have paved the way for reviving a method suspended since 2017—has been blocked following a legal challenge filed by a citizen. How will the government respond to this court ruling?

According to official information previously provided about the initiative, the trial was designed as a controlled, limited and temporary operation using manned aircraft. It would have covered up to 1,000 hectares over an operational period of no more than seven calendar days.

The National Narcotics Council had defended the proposal as an experimental effort rather than a nationwide resumption of aerial spraying. Its stated purpose was to gather scientific evidence on the herbicide’s effectiveness, the accuracy of applications and the effects of product drift.

The court ruling has brought renewed attention to Colombia’s long-running debate over aerial eradication. Aerial spraying with glyphosate was initially suspended in 2015 and definitively barred by the Constitutional Court in 2017, after which the government focused on manual eradication and voluntary crop substitution until the current administration’s announcement that it would resume such practices.

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