The importance of sound science in the evaluation of crop protection products

By Megan Grebner

This article originally appeared in Brownfield Ag News on May 16, 2025.

Syngenta’s head of business sustainability and government affairs says the Make America Healthy Again Commission needs to use sound science to evaluate products essential to food and agriculture.

Val Dolcini tells Brownfield, “You can’t do it with scant adherence to long-held scientific principles, and you can’t do it without really studying problems effectively.” He says conceptually, the Make America Healthy Again movement is something agriculture supports.  “We want to see better health outcomes for American citizens,” he says. “We want to be able to identify ways to make sure that our children are as healthy as they can be. But you have to do that with a good, solid scientific foundation.”

Dolcini says Syngenta, along with CropLife America and other industry stakeholders have been working to make sure Secretary Kennedy understands the important role crop protection tools play in America’s food production.

Alexandra Dunn, CEO of CropLife America, says more than 2,500 letters have been sent from farmers to members of Congress and the Trump administration encouraging them to focus on the science. “Those letters say, please, Secretary Kennedy, do not take herbicides and insecticides away from farmers,” she says. “We know how to use them, and we need them to protect our crops so that we can put food on America’s tables.”

The MAHA Commission is expected to release its initial 100-day report this month.

A link to the letter-writing campaign can be found HERE.