WASHINGTON, D.C. – Suggestions for sweeping overhauls of pesticide regulations were largely discarded in what was billed as the final draft of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission’s recommendations, issued last week. Walked back were what many farmers considered onerous restrictions on pesticides, replaced with acknowledgements of the critical role they play in U.S. food production and the use of precision agriculture to limit unnecessary pesticide applications.

“We appreciate the commission’s willingness to meet with farmers across the country, hear our concerns and develop smart solutions,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, in a prepared statement. “Those of us involved in the food system look forward to being fully engaged with the commission, and policymakers at all levels, to ensure a full understanding of the scope and intention of the recommendations and impact on our food supply chain.”

While the report places emphasis on cuts to food assistance, Medicaid programs and scientific research, as well as vaccine policy, its approach to the use of common crop chemicals was less specific. Dietary guidelines, which are expected to be updated by the government in the coming weeks, were not specifically addressed. However, the MAHA program calls for an effort to reduce the amount of refined starch and sugars in foods consumed by children.

“A renewed focus on American-grown fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, along with reintroducing whole milk into the school meal programs can help provide a foundation for a lifetime of smart choices. Reducing or streamlining regulations in smart ways can allow farms operating on very thin margins to innovate, diversify and respond to consumer demand,” Duvall said.

As for farm chemicals, the new report states that “children are exposed to an increasing number of synthetic chemicals, some of which have been linked to developmental issues and chronic disease.” The strategy recommends that “the current regulatory framework should be continually evaluated to ensure that chemical and other exposures do not interact together to pose a threat.”

During the 2024 presidential campaign, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had vowed to ban some pesticides and herbicides used by farmers. His final MAHA report settled for placing greater emphasis on the processing of food rather than its cultivation, while also recommending that American farmers are “put at the center of how we think about health.”

Don Guinnip, Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) District 12 director, said, “The commission confirmed that the Environmental Protection Agency is the appropriate agency to review pesticide approvals and recommended a review of EPA’s chemical approval process to prioritize timely reviews of the most current opportunities for farmers to control pests. ICGA and our farmer leaders hope to participate as much as possible in the implementation of these recommendations.”

Bayer-backed Modern Ag Alliance (MAA) represents more than 100 agricultural organizations advocating for U.S. farmers’ access to the crop protection tools, including pesticides and herbicides. According to MAA Executive Director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, past and ongoing testing conducted by the EPA continues to prove the safety of glyphosate and other common crop protection chemicals used by U.S. farmers.

“To prevent harmful policy changes in the future, it is essential for policymakers in Washington and around the country to support sound scientific standards that are based on real-world risk,” Burns-Thompson said. “If farmers lose access to crop protection products because of misguided ideological agendas, U.S. agriculture would be upended, potentially forcing many family farms to shut down and driving up food costs for every American.”

While the report acknowledges the critical role of government-supported conservation programs for farmers in food production, it also suggests that many of those programs are outdated and have drifted away from their original intentions.

“The MAHA commission has listened to and engaged with America’s farmers and that is encouraging,” Guinnip said. “The process has worked as it should, with ideas being challenged and experts in the relevant fields being heard. I am happy to see the commission acknowledge that on-farm conservation practices are an extremely important element on our farms, often with pesticides being integral to the soil health practices like no-till that I rely on.”

The report acknowledges the role that precision technology has in the food system. Association of Equipment Manufacturers senior vice president of government and industry relations Kip Eideberg issued the following statement:

“The (AEM) applauds the MAHA commission for recognizing the critical role that precision agriculture technology plays in ensuring that future generations grow up in a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient America. Precision agriculture technology not only enhances agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability but also improves public health outcomes by reducing the amount of pesticides applied, improving air and water quality, and supporting the production of more nutritious food. AEM looks forward to continuing working with the MAHA commission to advance the adoption of precision agriculture technology and support its efforts to build a healthier, more resilient future for all Americans.”

Others were less than happy with the updated MAHA recommendations regarding agriculture, farm chemicals and the environment. “It looks like the pesticide industry lobbyists steamrolled the MAHA commission’s agenda,” noted Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.