At first glance, the incoming Trump administration does not hold much promise for farm system supporters.
Take, for example, Brooke Rollins, President Trump's pick for Secretary of Agriculture. Section dedicated to agriculture The web page for the America First Policy Institute, of which Rollins is CEO, says almost nothing about food or agriculture. In fact, what comes into play here is energy policy, which seems to suggest that U.S. agriculture should be more focused on oil exploration than growing food.
And if Trump's first term is any indication of what's to come, expect a series of events. Taxpayer-subsidized payment To offset losses incurred during Trade War 2.0.
Meanwhile, from From 2012 to 2022The United States lost more than 200,000 farms, or about 10 percent of the nation's total. Only large farms with annual revenues of $1 million or more increased in number over this period, increasing from 81,660 farms in 2012 to 107,952 farms in 2022. Small and medium-sized farms were destroyed. As we become increasingly dependent on our food systems, Imported goodslarge-scale factory-style operations and global suppliers make up our increasingly industrialized food system.
These developments make Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services even more significant. For all the fuss surrounding his stance vaccine or fluorine in waterhis Condemnation of pesticides and Against food additives He makes clear that he believes our industrial farming system requires serious reform. To that end, if RFK Jr. wants to make real change, he should use the full power of the Food and Drug Administration to go after overseas facilities and check the power of unregulated factory farms in the United States. should be considered.
First, the American system is a system of checks and balances. No agency or department has complete control over one policy area, including agriculture. This means that while the Department of Agriculture is primarily responsible for agricultural policy, the FDA, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, also has some responsibility in managing the food system.
The law that gives FDA authority in the field of agriculture is not the Farm Bill; Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This law was one of many progressive laws that sought to protect consumers from corporate abuse of power. subsequent laws It has expanded its powers in terms of conducting inspections and issuing regulations for industry.
Specifically, the FDA, led by RFK Jr., could become more involved in solving problems in the industrialized food system by conducting more inspections of farms and facilities, especially those in foreign countries.
In this respect, China deserves attention.
While there is increasing attention to exports to China, in reality China 3rd largest supplier The amount of agricultural exports to the United States is second only to Mexico and Canada. This is especially true for seafood. 80% come from overseasincluding from Chinese companies.
FDA has the authority This includes not only inspecting foreign facilities where food (including seafood) is processed, but also filing injunctions and filing criminal proceedings against companies that violate labor laws. It has already been revealed in the news forced labor in china It is used to supply seafood. The FDA, led by RFK Jr., may conduct further investigations into these companies overseas, where cheap labor may make the fish cheaper than what U.S. fishermen can sell.
On the U.S. side, the FDA could do more by regulating factory farms when it comes to water pollution.
The FDA, which is also under the jurisdiction of the EPA, is involved in overseeing environmental contamination when there is a potential impact on consumer health. modern multistate Escherichia coli outbreak McDonald's use of onions is just one example of how the FDA is working with the CDC to analyze what's going wrong in our food system. The key to such investigations is not only to point to responsibility and punish wrongdoing, but also to prevent future disasters.
Regarding water pollution in particular, a coalition of consumer and environmental groups called on the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations for factory farm water pollution under the Clean Water Act. Of particular note is the estimation method. 10,000 operations nationwide Illegal discharge of wastewater without a permit. Despite their very serious concerns, their petition was rejected last year.
In this regard, FDA may continue this investigation. that have the authority to inspect the farm; The processing and storage capacity of fertilizers and whether they are contaminating water sources. Taking what the EPA couldn't do, the RFK Jr.-led FDA — if he really wanted to reform the food system — would inspect large-scale factory farms, the worst of which harm waterways and the environment. will be able to punish the person.
Then there's the issue of overuse of antibiotics. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.) sent a letter To the FDA calling for stricter restrictions on the use, especially misuse, of antibiotics in factory farms. causes antimicrobial resistance Both people and animals. The FDA has the authority to regulate the use of drugs such as antibiotics in the livestock industry thanks to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Now, RFK Jr. has the opportunity to set limits on what factory farms can use to “make America healthy again.”
I've heard that many of President Trump's cabinet picks, including RFK Jr., are intended to “blow up” the organization. Hyperbole aside, our food system, suffering from the negative effects of relentless concentration and environmental destruction, may be in need of a shake-up.
Anthony Panke (anthonypahnke.com) is vice chairman of Family Firm Defenders and associate professor of international relations at San Francisco State University in San Francisco.
