How Organic Insider operates: We accept no advertising, we have no paywalls and we make our newsletters free to everyone because vital information about our industry needs to get out to as many people as possible. Please consider supporting our work, whether you are an individual or a company. Thank you so much.
Even though the pesticide industry operates with an immense level of control over our agricultural system, wielding vast influence with politicians and regulators alike, it now faces tremendous public opposition.
As such, it has launched a multi-pronged strategy to combat the current threats, including the deployment of tactics that put our freedom in jeopardy.
** PR Campaign **
The industry has been running national advertisements, such as the one below in Politico’s Morning Ag newsletter, warning the country that if glyphosate is removed, food prices could nearly double — thereby scaring consumers into accepting this chemical as important for their pocketbooks.
** State Legislation **
In numerous states across the U.S., the industry has waged campaigns to receive legislative protection from lawsuits, precluding consumers from suing pesticide companies if they were to get sick from chemicals and were not provided warnings about the product’s safety.
These initiatives have not been successful in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Iowa, Mississippi and Tennessee. However, they passed in state legislatures in North Dakota and Georgia, where they are now awaiting the signatures of the two governors, Kelly Armstrong and Brian Kemp, respectively.
Another concern is if one of these states passes a liability protection law, it will give the industry ammunition to get it passed on the federal level, meaning the pesticide companies will be shielded from liability in every state.
“It is critical that everyone call the offices of Governors Armstrong and Kemp as soon as possible, even if they are not citizens of that state,” said Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and co-founder of American Regeneration. “This legislation is giving away our personal rights to health, all for the sake of corporate profits.”
** Aggressively Lobbying Senators **
In a letter to the leaders of the Health and Human Services, USDA and EPA (all prominent figures on the MAHA Commission), numerous members of Congress warned them of “activist groups promoting misguided and sometimes even malicious policies masquerading as health solutions” that would result in “a less abundant, less affordable food supply and poorer health outcomes.”
Not surprisingly, Henry Rowlands, founder of The Detox Project, which oversees the Glyphosate Residue Free certification, sees it very differently.
“The levels of chronic disease in children in the U.S. are already terrifying and are on the rise, according to a recent peer-reviewed study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the world’s leading medical journal. The study asserts that this is largely due to exposure to toxic synthetic chemicals, including pesticides.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
The various government agency heads appear to have varying stances when it comes to pesticides and how to manage them moving forward.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has referred to glyphosate as “a poison” that threatens public health, and he played an active role in suing Monsanto in California during his time as an environmental lawyer.
When running for president in 2024, he said that he would “transform our agricultural system to get pesticides out of our food supply” and develop a system of “organic, regenerative agriculture” in the country.
A few weeks ago, when speaking to farmers who were worried about bans on GMOs and pesticides, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins told them, “As we speak on efforts to make America healthy again, I am certain that we will do so in a way that does not compromise you and your farms and your farming practices.”
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is well-known for rolling back regulations, whereas restricting or banning toxic pesticides could require implementing new regulations. The League of Conservation Voters assigned him a lifetime environmental score of 14%, reflecting a voting record that frequently opposed environmental protections, including those related to pesticide use. Additionally, last month, it was reported that the EPA is considering a Bayer-backed rule that could significantly curtail the lawsuits for “failing-to-warn” consumers about the risks of using Roundup.
By May 24th, the MAHA Commission, of which Secretary Kennedy is the chair, must deliver its report — Make our Children Healthy Again Assessment — and glyphosate, atrazine and other chemicals may very well be blamed for the poor health in our country.
That being said, the EPA is clearly in the driver’s seat here, as it is the agency that evaluates, registers and enforces the use of pesticides.
Based on his track record, getting Administrator Zeldin to go against the chemical industry is going to be a very uphill battle.
 |
With gratitude, 
Max Goldberg, Founder |
Daily Harvest has introduced its first-ever, shelf-stable product -- pea protein powder. Containing just one ingredient and free from all additives, gums and seed oils, it contains 24g of plant-based protein per 120-calorie serving. USDA certified organic, tested by third-party labs for heavy metals, and featuring a mild, neutral taste profile.
“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a press conference yesterday in Washington, D.C.
At $21.5 billion and accounting for 30.1% of total organic sales, organic produce held the top spot as the standout category, with berries and bananas leading the way.
Key provisions of the bill include improved coordination of organic research at the USDA, increased funding for the USDA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative, and a new statutory grant program to assist producers transitioning to organic practices.
The food sector is “unprepared” for an impending climate-induced meltdown, a secret society of UK industry insiders has warned in a new report.
The findings of this study build on existing research that pollution knows no borders or boundaries.
This smaller format store concept will soon open in the East Village and Hell’s Kitchen.
In a review of over 500 scientific publications, The Research Institutes of Organic Agriculture FiBL found that organic farming results in lower environmental impacts than other forms of agriculture.
Internal Syngenta documents, revealed by The New Lede, show that the company was aware of scientific evidence many years ago indicating that paraquat could impact the brain in ways that cause Parkinson’s, and that it secretly sought to influence scientific research to counter the evidence of harm.
The Bionutrient Institute, Edacious and Utah State University have released early findings from an ambitious research initiative exploring the nutrient density of beef -- and the many factors that influence it.
“Taxpayers are subsidizing poor health,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a Little Rock news conference with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We’re paying for it on the front end and the back end.”
Want to share this newsletter on social media? You can use this link: Newsletter Link
