Senate passes legislation to protect U.S. agriculture, food supply from terrorism

The Senate approved legislation on Thursday to protect the nation’s food supply from potential terrorist attacks through coordinated efforts led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Senate version of the bipartisan bill with U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. U.S. Reps. David Young (R-IA) and Dan Donovan (R-NY) led the measure in the House, which passed in March.

The Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act would make the assistant secretary of homeland security for health affairs responsible for DHS efforts related to securing the nation’s food, agricultural and veterinary systems against terrorism and other high-risk events.

After the House considers some final changes to the bill, it goes to the president for signature.

Roberts said both DHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture play important roles in protecting the U.S. food supply from an attack that could cause irreparable damage.

“This legislation reiterates the important and necessary role of the DHS in the agro-terrorism space,” Roberts said. “As former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I understand the unique threat our farmers and ranchers face. As the backbone of the U.S. economy, the spread of any deadly pathogen among our livestock and plant population would be devastating.”

Young said the common sense measures included in the bill were critical to national security and food safety for families across the country. He originally introduced the legislation to shore up the nation’s food supply after the 2015 avian flu outbreak killed millions of hens and turkeys in Iowa alone.

“Response efforts revealed problematic breaks in the federal government’s ability to communicate with the people and react quickly to large-scale animal disease outbreaks,” Young said. The 2015 disaster “also raised concerns among farmers and producers about whether our nation would be able to quickly and effectively share information and respond to agro-terrorism threats and bio-attacks, ultimately an attack against the safety and reliability of food supplies consumers rely on.”

Donovan, who introduced the House bill with Young, noted that enemies of the United States are intent on exploiting the nation’s resources and vulnerabilities, including its food supply.

“Threats to U.S food, agriculture and livestock industries could devastate our food system, impacting millions of Americans, as well as our economy,” Donovan, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Preparedness, Response and Communications, said. “This bill is essential to enhancing agro-terrorism preparedness and emergency response measures, and I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get it passed.”

The DHS secretary would be authorized to collaborate with other agencies and to help integrate and enhance preparedness initiatives related to food, agriculture, and animal and human health under the bill. In addition, government agencies would also work together to improve food and agriculture security and screening procedures for domestic and imported products.