White House Torn Between Farmers and Health Advocates Over Pesticide Order

A sharp disagreement over pesticide policy reportedly occurred in the Oval Office last week as farm industry leaders and supporters of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement battled over a Trump administration executive order promoting alternatives to conventional pesticides.

The meeting included President Donald Trump, Kennedy Jr. and his staff, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, South Dakota farmer Jonathan Lundgren, and White House aides.

Kennedy reportedly urged Trump to sign the executive order following a Supreme Court ruling viewed as favorable to pesticide manufacturers by making it more difficult for individuals to sue companies over alleged health risks. Lundgren also encouraged the president to move forward, stating: “One of the take-home messages I really wanted [Trump] to understand is that the farmers were sick right now.”

Duvall strongly objected, warning Trump the order could undermine public confidence in the nation’s food supply and jeopardize support from farmers. The exchange became particularly heated when Kennedy deputy Calley Means accused Duvall of not having read the executive order.

Despite the objections, Trump signed the order after hearing arguments from both sides.

The executive order, titled “Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience,” directs federal agencies to accelerate approval of alternatives to older pesticides, expand research into cumulative chemical exposure, promote precision agriculture, and increase investment in regenerative farming practices. It emphasizes that these efforts must occur within existing statutory authority without imposing new regulatory mandates.

A White House spokesman stated the president “listens to a variety of opinions from many subject experts to inform his decision-making.”

The order stops short of banning widely used pesticides such as glyphosate, instead focusing on research, innovation, and voluntary adoption of alternative farming practices.