Trump Issues Order for Domestic Glyphosate Production to Counter China Reliance

President Donald Trump issued an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to compel domestic production of glyphosate-based herbicides and elemental phosphorus. He classified them as essential to national security and food supply chain resilience.

The order responds to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Supply Chain Report from the end of the Biden presidency. That report showed China produces 50 percent of crop protection products. Trump acted to remove the risk of relying on China for tools vital to food production.

The order noted shortages of glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Bayer's Roundup herbicide, would threaten agricultural productivity and food safety.

A seventh-generation Indiana farmer and former U.N. ambassador to the Food Agencies praised the move. He said his farm began using glyphosate more than 50 years ago. Three generations later, corn yields have tripled thanks to it.

Domestic glyphosate production would secure a stable supply free from external pressures. The farmer compared it to current issues with fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. It would keep industrial capacity, expertise and oversight in the U.S. while supporting jobs.

Without glyphosate, China would dominate the U.S. crop protection market. The farmer warned of impacts from a potential war in the South China Sea between Taiwan and China. China could cut supplies, risking food insecurity, economic damage and environmental harm in the United States.

Glyphosate remains the most used herbicide in U.S. row-crop agriculture, including corn, soybeans, cotton and canola. It controls weeds on hundreds of millions of acres, supports stable yields and keeps production costs predictable for consumers.

The herbicide enables no-till farming, boosting wildlife habitats, cutting soil erosion and reducing nutrient loss. The farmer has applied it safely for 50 years and trusts his children and grandchildren to do the same.

Glyphosate also manages invasive weeds that threaten human and animal health. The farmer recalled a Uganda incident during his ambassadorship. Nearly 30 mothers and infants died after eating food aid contaminated by untreated noxious weeds from Turkish grain.

Trump's order takes necessary steps against China's dominance in crop protection tools to protect America's food system.