By Clint Thompson
Southeast fruit and vegetable producers are not the only ones that could feel the sting from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report. It’s a global concern, says Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. Butts stressed the need that growers continue to have access following the report’s potential negative impact.
“I would say our food production around the world relies on these tools. It is nice that it’s not just a southeastern problem but we wish it wasn’t anybody’s problem. We’re going to keep fighting for it. It’s one more challenge that our growers are going to face. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure they have access to those tools,” Butts said.
Modern Ag Alliance
The Modern Ag Alliance believes that the report raises the possibility that the federal government could restrict farmers’ access to essential inputs, such as glyphosate. Glyphosate is one of the most researched products that producers use – with more than 1,500 studies and 50-plus years of review by the EPA and other global health authorities. The Alliance stated, however, that the commission’s report leans more on previously discredited studies and reports, including from the World Health Organization, from which the U.S. has withdrawn.
The Alliance also stresses that if the report steers policy decisions that restrict farmers’ access to tools like glyphosate – the most widely used weed-fighting tool by farmers – crop yields will decline, and input costs would surge by 150%.
“Where does it end? What are we trying to achieve? Why are we taking away a tool from our growers where we’re trying to feed our country when the science data says, when used according to the label, that it’s safe,” Butts said. “We just can’t continue to take those tools away.”