Big Ag vs. MAHA: Who’s winning and why

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Credit: US Geological Survey

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a reputation for bashing powerful corporate interests in his quest to “Make America Healthy Again.” But one industry has eked out a win under Kennedy’s MAHA agenda: Big Agriculture.

In May, the Trump administration’s MAHA commission released a report raising questions about the health effects of two commonly used pesticides, glyphosate and atrazine. …

Major trade groups scrambled to meet with White House officials. They urged the commission in a coordinated social media campaign to take a “fact-based approach,” and sent letters to key federal departments.

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Their efforts seemingly paid off. The Trump administration’s MAHA strategy document … did not call for restrictions on pesticides and instead said the EPA would work to ensure the public is aware of its “robust” review procedures, a marked shift from Kennedy’s past criticism of chemicals as contaminating the nation’s food supply.

The scientific and regulatory consensus on the safety of glyphosate is divided. … Bayer, which has faced a blitz of lawsuits over its glyphosate-containing herbicide, has stood by the chemical’s safety.

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