The final version of the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Commission strategy takes a moderate approach on agriculture and pesticide use, delivering a regulatory framework that largely aligns with farm industry interests and avoids sweeping restrictions.

The long-awaited report, released Tuesday, outlines federal efforts to improve children's health by addressing diet, vaccines, and chemical exposure-but avoids the hardline measures some in agriculture feared. Instead, the strategy emphasizes reforming regulatory pathways, expanding research on food ingredients and exposure, and modernizing vaccine access.

"The final strategy represents a significant win for the farm industry," reported Politico, noting the administration scaled back efforts originally championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had advocated for stricter limits on common agricultural chemicals.

While the strategy does not impose new pesticide regulations, it encourages the federal government to study consumer exposure levels and promote precision ag technologies to reduce herbicide use. The plan also supports faster Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviews of new pesticides, shifting more staff into expedited review roles and promoting non-animal testing methods.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has already begun transferring independent scientists to speed up evaluations, a move welcomed by chemical and pesticide companies eager for market access.

The report also includes key recommendations for livestock and produce operations. It calls on regulators to offer flexibility in managing manure and wastewater on livestock farms, avoiding one-size-fits-all mandates that ignore local geography and farm scale. For produce handlers, the plan recommends defining post-harvest rinse water as non-hazardous, which would shield packers from unnecessary wastewater treatment burdens.

Additional ag-related proposals include:

• Eliminating reduced-fat mandates in federal nutrition programs to increase consumer choice.

• Allowing small dairy operations to process and sell their own products locally.

• Removing zoning restrictions on mobile grocery units serving food deserts.

• Fast-tracking grocery permits in underserved areas.

• Incentivizing access to fruits and vegetables across formats-fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.

Farm groups responded with measured support.

CropLife America praised the emphasis on "the critical role of pesticides in ensuring a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply."
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) welcomed the "science-based approach" and applauded the reinforcement of EPA's global standards.
The American Soybean Association (ASA) also expressed cautious optimism, citing the commission's willingness to engage directly with farm stakeholders.

However, not all feedback was positive. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) raised concerns over the framing of enriched and refined grains as "ultra-processed," warning this could mislead consumers about their nutritional value. Meanwhile, meat and dairy groups broadly supported the strategy's emphasis on the health benefits of animal protein and whole milk.

Beyond agriculture, the MAHA report also proposes:

• A National Institutes of Health Chronic Disease Task Force.

• A formal definition of ultra-processed food.

• Restrictions on synthetic food dyes, which previous drafts controversially linked to autism, despite a lack of conclusive evidence.

It further recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture collaborate with restaurants to educate the public on age-appropriate food choices for children, and to curb direct marketing of unhealthy foods.

For the U.S. agricultural sector, the final MAHA report signals an administration that is willing to prioritize industry input and regulatory flexibility over blanket restrictions. While public health advocates criticize the approach as insufficiently protective, many in farming and agribusiness view it as a balanced strategy that supports food production and innovation without burdening producers.