As America’s food supply chain and agriculture industry continue to face cyber threats from outside countries, particularly China, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are looking for ways to protect domestic production and ensure that Americans have consistent access to quality foods.
Among the group of elected officials working to find solutions to the growing problem is Senator Katie Britt, who helped this week to reintroduce the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act.
“I will always fight to protect Alabama and America’s agriculture industry,” said Britt of the legislation. “Food security is national security, and recognizing that requires our farmland to be protected from foreign adversaries like China. It is absolutely imperative we work diligently to identify any cyber threats to America’s agriculture communities that feed and clothe our state, nation, and world.”
RELATED: Britt helps reintroduce legislation aimed at countering CCP’s land grab throughout U.S.
According to Britt, the bill would identify vulnerabilities in both the public and private sectors of our agriculture industry and improve protective measures within them against cyber threats.
Specifically, the bill would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a risk assessment every two years detailing the cybersecurity threat to, and vulnerabilities within, the agriculture and food sectors and submit a report to Congress.
The Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act also directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct an annual cross-sector crisis simulation exercise for food-related cyber emergencies or disruptions.
Britt also recently reintroduced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act to prevent any Chinese individual or business from owning American land.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
