The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched the National Farm Security Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy to bolster American agriculture as a crucial component of national security. The plan addresses urgent threats from foreign adversaries and aims to strengthen the resilience of U.S. food and agricultural systems.
Secretary Rollins emphasized the plan's importance, stating, "We feed the world. We lead the world. And we'll never let foreign adversaries control our land, our labs, or our livelihoods."
The action plan comes in response to recent events highlighting vulnerabilities in America's food and agriculture supply chain. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice charged foreign nationals, including a Chinese Communist Party member, with smuggling a potentially dangerous fungus into the country.
The National Farm Security Action Plan focuses on seven critical areas:
- Securing American farmland from foreign ownership
- Enhancing agricultural supply chain resilience
- Protecting the U.S. nutrition safety net from fraud
- Defending agricultural research and innovation
- Prioritizing American interests in USDA programs
- Safeguarding plant and animal health
- Protecting critical infrastructure
These measures aim to address concerns about foreign infiltration of U.S. research facilities, farmland acquisitions by adversaries, technology theft, and cyberattacks on food systems.
