On the 8th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the 'National Agricultural Security Action Plan' to strengthen control over foreign ownership of farmland in order to prevent foreign capital infiltration and protect the food supply and national security.
At a press conference, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Rollins stated that the action plan would prohibit nationals from hostile countries from purchasing U.S. farmland, and would work in cooperation with the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is under the Department of the Treasury, to review foreign investments in the agricultural sector.
She said: "Today, U.S. agriculture faces not only the risks of food shortages and rising prices, but also the challenges of sovereign security. We are fighting back against China and other foreign adversaries—they should no longer own our land, nor be able to steal our scientific research achievements."
She stated that the United States needed to take such measures to respond to the "tremendous threat" posed to national security. Foreign purchases of U.S. farmland are being treated as "weapons against us."
She said: "From China acquiring U.S. farmland to the criminal exploitation of our agricultural system, these situations have occurred repeatedly. U.S. agriculture is not just about feeding our families—it’s also about defending our nation and standing up to foreign adversaries who acquire our farmland."
She stated that the U.S. government also plans to "reclaim farmland already purchased by China and other foreign adversaries."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegses, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, Attorney General Bundy, and Trade Advisor Navarro also attended the press conference. In addition to land restriction measures, the action plan also covers supply chain security, scientific research protection, and welfare program reforms.
Data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that foreigners currently own nearly 45 million acres of U.S. farmland. Of this, China owns about 280,000 acres—less than 1% of the farmland owned by foreigners—but much of this land is adjacent to key U.S. military bases.
Additionally, U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegses, who attended the press conference, said that the Pentagon will prohibit the sale of farmland near U.S. military bases to "foreign adversaries."
He said: "As the person responsible for leading the Department of Defense, I want to know who owns the land surrounding our bases. This is just common sense. Foreign adversaries can no longer assume we are not watching."