Ag leaders representing the nation’s agricultural organizations are expressing concerns over a report that is being released this week by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission that may have a significant impact on America’s farmers, producers, and ranchers, and the public’s trust in the food system.
The MAHA Commission, which was established in February by an executive order from President Trump, is Chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Ag organizations, including the American Soybean Association (ASA), the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), and the International Fresh Produce Association are asking the administration to consider the consequences of the report before it’s finalized.
Below is a joint statement released by the organizations ahead of the MAHA commission’s report:
“American agriculture’s strong relationship with President Trump is based on his longstanding commitment to farmers, growers and ranchers. That is why farmers represented by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and International Fresh Produce Association are imploring the administration to carefully consider the content and consequences of the forthcoming Make America Healthy Again Commission report before it is finalized.
“Despite the effort of many of our organizations to work with the MAHA Commission to provide factual information about American food production, we have heard disturbing accounts that the commission report may suggest U.S. farmers are harming Americans through their production practices and ‘creating foods that is [sic] destroying our microbiome and bodies—leading directly to our chronic disease crisis.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. Nutrition matters, health matters, and the confidence of consumers in the food supply matters tremendously. Such a conclusion would run counter to the scientific evidence and decades of findings from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Should the MAHA Commission report baselessly attack and, worse yet, make claims that are simply untrue against the hardworking men and women who feed our nation, it will make further cooperation on this initiative very difficult and potentially put American food production at risk. We urge President Trump to ensure that the MAHA Commission report is based on sound science and evidence-based claims rather than opinions and preferences of social influencers and single-issue activists with little to no experience in actual farming or food production.”
The groups represent hundreds of thousands of farmers across the United States—farmers whose livelihoods are at stake if the report turns to conjecture and opinion to form its content.
