NAAA Partners with Ag Coalition to Communicate to Administration Ag and Health Agencies the Importance of Sound Science and the Judicious Use of Pesticides to Ensure Good Health

NAAA joined multiple food and agricultural organizations in communications to the USDA, EPA and the Department of Health of Human Services (HHS) cabinet officials the importance of a regulatory environment based on sound science and modern ag production techniques, including the judicious use of pesticides, to provide a needed supply of healthy foods and protect human health.  In a letter NAAA cosigned to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, it was expressed science- and risk-based decision-making will ensure that food policy is fact-based and efficient in ensuring consumer health and safety. Click here to read the letter.

In another letter to Rollins, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, NAAA joined a coalition of ag and food organizations expressing its interest in working with the Make America Healthy Again Commission in advancing the shared goals of improving health outcomes for Americans while protecting our most vulnerable populations. The letter also shared significant concerns regarding unfounded criticisms levied against the safety of the food and agricultural value chain and defended the robust science- and risk-based regulatory systems to which food products are already subject.  It urged the Commission to draw conclusions from the significant body of sound, quality science and data while resisting policy changes based on misleading or outlier studies.  The letter emphasized that modern agricultural tools like pesticides and biotechnology are critical components of a healthy and dynamic food system and farm economy that produce food and feed ingredients that are safe and affordable for all Americans.  

The letter went on to state that “Without access to safe, well-regulated pesticidal tools, our nation’s growers and agricultural producers would be vulnerable to devastating insects, fungal diseases, and weed pests that can completely destroy a crop. Economy-wide, this would impact the cost and availability of food for American consumers. Further, pesticides are vital for protecting public health from diseases carried by animal pests like bed bugs, rodents, and mosquitoes, which can carry diseases like West Nile virus or Dengue Fever. Leveraging the safe use of pesticides is also critical to supporting soil health conservation practices such as no-till; controlling weeds that could damage critical infrastructure; and controlling vegetation that contributes to wildfire fuel loads. Without risk-based scientific regulatory processes providing for access to and safe use of pesticides, U.S. growers and producers will become less competitive in the marketplace. Less U.S. production means Americans will increasingly rely on other countries for our food, leading to higher prices, reduced food security and compromised national security. A nation that chooses not to feed itself is not secure.” The letter went on in great detail listing the robust nature of the regulatory process in the U.S. to ensure there must be “reasonable certainty” that no harm will result from pesticide residue exposures, with explicit emphasis placed on protecting infants and children. To read the letter click here.