The second Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report is expected to be released soon, and livestock producers are watching closely. We spoke with Sigrid Johannes, Senior Director of Government Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), to get insight on what the cattle industry should anticipate from the upcoming publication.
Johannes notes that the first MAHA report, released in May, was largely crop-focused, sparking concern among farmers.
“The first report that we saw from the MAHA Commission come out in May was certainly very heavily crop focused. I think you saw a lot of very understandable and justified concern from the production row crop community about some of the language included in that report on the use of pesticide and herbicides.”
Since then, however, Johannes says there’s been meaningful progress in how the MAHA Commission engages with stakeholders.
“It’s been a very busy summer, especially for the folks working on the MAHA Commission, and I think the subject matter in the next document we have out either this month or maybe early September is going to look pretty different… That has not been our experience with the second.”
The NCBA reports a more collaborative and transparent process leading into the second report, with productive conversations involving the White House, USDA, and HHS. This marks a shift from the more closed-door approach observed with the first report.
Johannes continues:
“We are very pleased with the two-way dialogue we’ve had with staff for the MAHA Commission, folks at the White House, folks at USDA and HHS. We’ve had good conversations about their areas of interest.”
A key area of focus in the second MAHA report is expected to center on antibiotic use in livestock and production practices used by U.S. cattle producers.
“A lot of that focuses on the use of antibiotics and other production tools that cattle producers in the United States use every day to raise the highest quality and healthiest and safest beef in the world.”
With continued engagement, the cattle industry is hopeful the updated MAHA report will recognize the critical role of responsible livestock management in promoting both public health and food security.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.