June 18, 2025
Ag Groups Ask MAHA to Seek Their Input
More than 250 groups representing farmers, ranchers, and agrochemical companies urged the Trump administration on Tuesday to seek their input on future activities of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, after the body’s first report pointed to pesticides as a possible health risk. Reuters reports the farm sector has been pushing for more involvement in the work of the commission, established by President Donald Trump in February and named for the social movement aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The MAHA report released in May was produced without adequate input from the farm sector and, as a result, “contained numerous errors and distortions that have created unfounded fears about the safety of our food supply,” said the letter sent on Tuesday morning to Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. “The MAHA Commission would benefit from inviting public comment and formally including representatives from food and agriculture in any future reports,” said the letter.
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NPPC Welcomes Animal Health Provisions on Capitol Hill
The National Pork Producers Council applauded the introduction of similar animal health legislation in the U.S. House and Senate to fund U.S. Department of Agriculture measures and programs that help prevent, prepare for, and respond to foreign animal diseases (FADs). Agriculture Committee members Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Don Bacon (R-NE), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Don Davis (D-NC) sponsored the House bill, which would fund the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, the National Veterinary Stockpile, and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) preserved similar legislative language in his committee’s budget reconciliation package. “As foreign animal diseases continue to pose serious risks to producers – and the entire food supply chain – this legislation is key to maintaining pork’s safety, security, and affordability,” said NPPC President and Ohio pork producer Duane Stateler.
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Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil Increase U.S. Access to Markets
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced American agricultural producers will have greater market access to Thailand and Vietnam and maintain access to Brazil. USDA says the Trump Administration continues to break down non-tariff barriers and defend current market access, and these latest actions are some of many wins ahead for American producers. U.S. dairy producers will have maintained access to Brazil markets, citrus and apple growers will be able to sell more products to Thailand, and stone fruit growers will face lower non-tariff trade barriers in Vietnam as a result of the action taken by USDA. “American farmers and ranchers grow the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. Expanded access to Brazil, Thailand, and Vietnam will result in millions in added trade for the U.S. As we continue to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, the best is yet to come for our farmers and ranchers,” said Secretary Rollins.
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China Allows Import of Eligible Pork, Poultry Products From 106 U.S. Plants
China has approved 106 new U.S. pork and poultry plants to export eligible products produced on or after June 12, Chinese Customs said in a notice on its website. Reuters reports the announcement comes after China and the U.S. agreed on a framework to get their trade truce reached in Geneva talks last month back on track. The newly approved facilities include 23 pork plants and 83 poultry plants, according to a Chinese Customs database. China in March slapped tariffs of up to 15% covering $21 billion worth of American agricultural and food products, in retaliation against Trump’s imposition of levies on Chinese exports. Hundreds of U.S. meat plants gained access to China under the 2020 “Phase 1” trade deal brokered by President Donald Trump, but many lost their eligibility earlier this year. While registrations for pork and poultry facilities have since been renewed, beef plant registrations remain listed as “expired.”
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Wisconsin Farmer Claims Discrimination Against White Farmers by Trump Administration
A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA’s Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan, according to the AP. The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.
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Refreshed Website Offers New Biosecurity Resources
The Secure Beef Supply (SBS) website, www.securebeef.org(Link is external), has been redesigned to better serve the growing number of users seeking new, updated and classic biosecurity resources. “Producers can use these new Secure Beef Supply Plan resources to be proactive and customize their biosecurity strategies and plan before a disease outbreak – when time and resources are limited,” said NCBA’s Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian Julia Herman. “It’s a valuable addition to any risk management plan and should be developed in collaboration with veterinarians and other team members.” Thanks to funding from USDA’s National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association led a collaborative effort to increase awareness of SBS and foot-and-mouth disease. The website overhaul was executed by Iowa State University’s Center for Food Security and Public Health and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle of Preventalytics, with support from NCBA.
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