Ag Seeks Involvement in MAHA Process

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- More than 230 agricultural groups and organizations are seeking direct involvement in any policy recommendations coming from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission report and in any upcoming commission activities.

The groups made the request in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, pointing to what the groups say were inaccuracies and misrepresentations of agriculture in the report.

"The process by which the commission's most recent report was created lacked transparency and any opportunity for public engagement," said the groups that represent farmers, ranchers, food producers and ingredient manufacturers.

"As a result, the report contained numerous errors and distortions that have created unfounded fears about the safety of our food supply. While we appreciate recent outreach to some stakeholders in the food and agriculture sector, to genuinely provide the transparency and gold-standard science pledged in the report, we urge the administration to formally include farmers, ranchers, and food producers in a collaborative stakeholder process throughout all future work of the commission. We also advise the administration to create the opportunity for public comment on all future reports and activities of the commission."

The 68-page report released in May makes several recommendations as it relates to pesticides while pointing to what MAHA says is the critical role farmers play in children's health.

The report aims at ag chemicals including glyphosate, the main ingredient in Bayer's Roundup, citing studies that point to human health concerns and cites studies that are either inaccurate or don't exist.

The groups said in the letter agriculture has been at the forefront of improvement of health outcomes through innovation on the farm.

"Despite these successes, the MAHA commission report paints a very different, inaccurate story about American agriculture and our food system," the groups said.

"The stakes are high going forward. The unintended consequences of making uninformed decisions for U.S. food production based on misinformation or unproven theories would be sweeping for our nation's farmers."

The commission, according to the letter, has "operated without meaningful input from food and agricultural stakeholders." The groups pointed to a letter sent to the commission by members of Congress about concerns that the process "could be abused by activist groups seeking to advance their own" anti-agriculture agendas.

"The MAHA commission would benefit from inviting public comment and formally including representatives from food and agriculture in any future reports," the groups said.

"Greater transparency would prevent future misrepresentations based on poor or nonexistent sources. Grower and food production experts who work daily in food and agriculture would be a resource to corroborate claims or ideas. Also, because no one person or organization has all the answers to health ailments affecting our population, allowing greater input via public comment would provide the commission with new ideas and potentially new evidence to improve public health."

Read more on DTN:

"Ag Outraged by MAHA Commission Report," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"RFK Downplays MAHA Commission Report," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Farms Brace for MAHA Commission Report," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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