The “Make America Healthy Again” commission is set to release its much-anticipated report today, and it is expected to shape food and ag policy, and major ag groups are already warning the White House that farmers have become easy targets.
“If they go too far, they’ll end up taking away the tools we as farmers rely on, like pesticides, and that covers organic and conventional farming. It could make healthy food harder to get and more expensive for families across the country,” said California farmer Cassie Reiser.
Reiser says pesticides on the market have already gone through extensive health and safety testing. She also warns that fewer crop protections could mean more reliance on other countries for food and fiber.
Ag lawmakers have been watching the situation since Secretary Robert Kennedy’s confirmation. Senator Chuck Grassley says he has Kennedy’s word that farmers would be safe under his plan, leaving pesticide action to the EPA and ag department.
“He assured me he was supportive of farmers using tools like pesticides and GMOs. During his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, he said he agreed that the EPA and USDA should be the regulators for US agriculture.”
Other ag groups are speaking out as well. The American Soybean Association is urging the Administration to use sound science and not paint farmers in a bad light. They warn that baseless attacks would complicate the mission of U.S. farmers.
