Will Robert F Kennedy Jr 'go wild' on US agriculture and what could it mean for Australia?
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP: Evan Vucci)
Donald Trump has announced Robert F Kennedy Junior as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services.
In a post to X, President-elect Trump said Mr Kennedy would "end the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Great and Healthy Again!"
"For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health," Mr Trump wrote.
"The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country."
In the lead up to the election, RFK's campaign slogans included "Make America Healthy Again" and "Make Frying Oil Tallow Again", and he told US media the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would report to him.
His potential influence over the USDA is unclear following Trump's announcement, but he does appear to have permission from Trump to get involved in food and farming policies.
US-based agricultural analyst Brett Stuart said RFK had some "wild ideas when it came to food" including a move away from seed oils and pesticide-intensive agriculture.
"So this is the guy who Trump has said: 'I'm going to let him go wild on the food system', which is more than a little unsettling," Mr Stuart said.
"But we have an agriculture committee, Congress and Senate committee, that oversees law-making for the food sector who are going to have some big problems with this kind of stuff.
"It will be interesting to see how this all plays out … but I think the average American farmer is going to have some concerns, especially if they farm things like soybeans or corn."
In a video on social media, RFK said he was determined to ban "the worst agricultural chemicals that are already prohibited in other countries" and give farmers "an off-ramp" and encourage more regenerative farming.
Loading...RFK policies similar to Greens
Grains analyst Andrew Whitelaw said a lot of RFK's views were closely aligned with the policies of the Australian Greens political party.
"I think the RFK question is a lot more interesting than the question: What will Trump do?" he told WA Country Hour.
"When you look at what RFK is talking about, it's a hodgepodge of different ideas and we don't know exactly what he's going to do.
"Years ago he was on a legal team suing Monsanto for allegations of health concerns related to glyphosate … and a lot of what he's talking about now sits more in line with Greens policies than traditional right or centre-right politics."
Loading...Mr Whitelaw said a lot of RFK's views on chemicals could have a negative impact on crop yields if implemented and would likely be unpopular with most US farmers.
"A lot of Trump's support comes from rural USA, and I don't think many will be happy to see these kind of policies that RFK is advocating," he said.
CBA analyst Dennis Voznesenski said RFK's negative view on agrochemicals could have global ramifications.
"Any changes to agrochemical use regulations could have a sizeable impact on US agricultural output," he said.
"A reduction in output would benefit demand for Australian crops."