MAHA, Farmers and Crop Protection Tools

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (DTN) -- The initial Make America Healthy Again Commission report said glyphosate and other pesticides may have a negative impact on children's health, but the upcoming MAHA report on recommendations for action will "continue to respect regulatory frameworks" that have found glyphosate is safe, a high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency official said here Tuesday at the American Sugar Alliance's International Sweetener Symposium.

The MAHA Commission is chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said for years that crop protection tools damage children's health. However, Nancy Beck, the EPA deputy administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Protection, noted that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are members of the commission.

The cane and beet growers, who make up the American Sugar Alliance, and other farmers have been worried the MAHA Commission might recommend banning glyphosate or at least restricting its use.

As DTN has reported, farm groups this month are sending recommendations to the MAHA commission. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), a coalition of 20 agricultural and conservation trade groups, on Thursday published a report of "MAHA Policy Recommendations" around soil health, conservation, forest management and agricultural innovation. The American Farm Bureau Federation issued a separate series of recommendations as well.

Environmental groups and "MAHA moms" are also pressuring Kennedy and allies to follow up on campaign promises to limit exposure to chemicals in the food supply, including pesticides.

Beck, a political appointee with long experience in government and the private sector, said that she could not share the contents of the report, which is expected to come out shortly, but "we know pesticides are vital tools. We are going to get you those tools at the same time we protect children's health."

Farm leaders criticized the first MAHA report for not including input from producers, but Beck noted that the White House held meetings with farm leaders prior to the writing of the second report.

"Your comments have been heard," Beck said.

The first report "asked some very fair questions" about what exposure to chemicals does to children's health.

The next report, she said, "is very informed by stakeholder input" and "will cut across all agencies."

But Beck also noted that glyphosate is going through a re-registration process that is required every 15 years and that, based on a court decision, EPA is also doing a revised assessment on cancer risk.

"The science is still telling us that glyphosate is safe," Beck said, and EPA will continue to say that glyphosate is safe "until the weight of scientific evidence shifts."

The rule on dicamba, a herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds, is out for public comment, with a goal to have labels "agreed upon in the fall," she said.

Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used to control pests such as termites, mosquitoes, and roundworms, is also under registration review, she said. The Biden administration withdrew all tolerances for it, but following a court decision, proposed a rule allowing 11 uses.

The Trump administration is also determined to bring new crop protection tools to the market faster and is reviewing potential changes to its role in enforcing the Endangered Species Act based on comments requested by the Biden administration, she said.

EPA is undergoing reorganization, which "brings about uncertainty," but her division, as required by statute, is adding 60 to 80 employees and will also use new tools such as artificial intelligence and bioinformatics, she said.

On both sugar and pesticides, Beck said, people talk about how bad they are but not about their benefits.

"There needs to be better education, outreach and understanding," Beck said.

MAHA Commission report: https://www.whitehouse.gov/…

Also see, "Farm Groups Push to Shape MAHA Agenda, Warn of Risks to Crop Protection Tools," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

Follow him on social platform X @hagstromreport

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