USDA is scrambling to rehire some employees who were terminated even though their work is related to combatting avian flu.
“Although several positions supporting HPAI were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” the department says in a statement.
“USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”
For more on the battle against bird flu, read our weekly newsletter today.
Groups react to Jones’ exit from FDA
Consumer groups and former FDA officials are criticizing mass layoffs at the agency following the departure of Jim Jones as deputy commissioner of the Human Foods Program.
Jones resigned from his post Monday, as first reported by Food Fix. In his resignation letter, he cited cuts to the foods program staff as a primary driver. Over the holiday weekend, some probationary employees at FDA were terminated. It’s unclear the total number affected, but Jones said 89 employees had been cut so far from the foods program alone.
“Cutting the recent hires disproportionately disadvantages the most needed areas for bolstering regulation,” Robert Califf, former FDA Commissioner, wrote on LinkedIn. “This is especially true of chemicals in food, where laws require complex science to make the case in a way that will withstand court challenges by industry.”
Steven Grossman, former executive director of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, said the departure of Jones and other staff could impact food chemical safety work.
The Association of Food and Drug Officials said a new leader in the human foods program could have the “freedom to further reshape it in a manner that streamlines performance in the most efficient means possible.”
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Read more about the potential impact of staffing cuts in the Human Foods Program on food chemical safety efforts in this week’s newsletter.
RFA pushes Congress to pass year-round E15, reinstate suite of biofuel incentives
In the absence of concrete guidance on the 45Z tax credit for clean fuel producers, the Renewable Fuels Association is pushing Congress to reinstate the previous suite of biofuel tax incentives that expired in December.
This includes the second-generation biofuel producer tax credit and similar incentives that 45Z was created to replace.
“Markets absolutely despise uncertainty, but realistically it may be a while before we have the answers we need on 45Z,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of RFA. “Temporarily bringing those credits back would provide a bridge to 45Z and give the industry more certainty.”
Speaking at RFA’s National Ethanol Conference in Nashville, Cooper also emphasized that boosting ethanol and biofuel production can help the farm economy respond to ongoing challenges.
He said removing bureaucratic regulatory constraints on ethanol, like allowing for year-round E15, would allow biorefineries to grind more corn into ethanol, which boosts demand for farmers.
EU, Mexican officials meet with Trump officials to talk trade
Senior officials from both the European Union and Mexico are in Washington this week to press the Trump administration on its trade plans.
European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič landed in Washington Tuesday. As part of his three-day visit, he will meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick for U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and economic adviser Kevin Hassett.
Politico EU reported Šefčovič is arriving armed with a “package of cooperation,” in an attempt to avert new tariffs.
Meanwhile, Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard told reporters Tuesday he would be in Washington on Thursday for his own meetings with U.S. officials. “We will clarify the proposals put forth by the United States, and what the new administration aims to achieve," he told reporters. “Then we’ll put Mexico’s arguments on the table.”
Trump considers scrapping CEQ environmental review regulations
The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing an interim final rule to kill Council on Environmental Policy regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA requires agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of their actions.
Trump suggested CEQ leaders should consider rescinding the agency’s NEPA regulations in his “Unleashing American Energy” executive order last month. According to OMB’s online regulatory review tracker, the agency is looking at doing just that.
Take note: Some courts have been skeptical of CEQ’s authority to implement NEPA regulations in the first place. A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., concluded in November that the agency does not have that authority, but environmental groups have asked the full court to review that decision.
AI, regenerative ag and plant-based products to drive global ag-tech advancements
Investors expect that artificial intelligence, regenerative agriculture and plant-based food products are poised for significant technological advancements in the next few years.
Hadar Sutovsky, general manager of the ag-tech accelerator ICL Planet Startup Hub, argued during a World Trade Organization panel these three industries are set for the biggest leaps forward of any ag-tech sectors.
She argued that soil health, in particular, could get significant attention as companies try to enhance productivity while minimizing inputs. That progress could come from new machinery to support soil restoration and carbon sequestration, as well as microbial-based biostimulants, she said.
AI is also unlocking additional climate investments in global ag. The International Finance Corporation’s Adam Struve pointed out that climate financing in the agriculture sector has lagged other industries. He argued that difficulties measuring greenhouse gas emissions from biological processes has been USDA is scrambling to rehire some employees who were terminated even though their work is related to combatting avian flu.a barrier to developing climate mitigation solutions. But that could change with the advent of AI.
“A lot of the ag-tech that’s being developed is around making it possible to monitor and quantify these GHGs much better,” Struve said.
Final word
“The House budget resolution implements President Trump’s FULL America First agenda, not just parts of it with promises to come back later for the rest.” – House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a post on X that takes a dig at the Senate GOP.
Senate Republicans are moving ahead with their two-step approach to budget reconciliation: The Senate will debate a budget resolution this week that doesn’t include tax cuts.
