USDA unveils National Farm Security Action Plan to curb foreign ownership, bolster biosecurity

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the department's National Farm Security Action Plan at an event in Washington, D.C., saying the plan includes immediate steps to restrict foreign adversaries' access to American farmland and to strengthen biosecurity across the food system. "With this announcement today, we are taking this purpose and our American farmland back," Rollins said.

The action plan lays out seven priorities that Rollins and administration officials described as measures to protect the nation's food supply and treat farm security as national security. Rollins said the administration had already canceled seven active agreements with entities in "foreign countries of concern," signed a memo that removes 70 individuals from USDA contracts or research arrangements, and would pursue regulatory action to remove more than 550 such entities from USDA's preferred catalog.

Why it matters: administration officials from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, White House advisers and governors said foreign ownership of farmland and foreign access to agricultural research and processing creates vulnerabilities that could be exploited for surveillance, supply disruption or biological threats. "Farm and ranch security is national security," said Kansas Senator Roger Marshall. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said officials need to know who owns land near U.S. military bases.

Key elements announced

- Restrict foreign purchases and pursue clawbacks: Rollins said the plan will "ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries" where legally available and will pursue measures, including use of presidential authorities, to claw back previously purchased land.

- Interagency review of buyers: the administration plans closer coordination with the Treasury and Defense Departments and a push to involve agricul­ture perspectives in cross‑agency foreign investment reviews.

- Supply‑chain resilience and research protections: officials said the plan will strengthen supply chains, protect agricultural research and cancel what Rollins called "sweetheart deals" with foreign entities that do not have U.S. interests in mind.

- Nutrition program integrity and infrastructure protections: the plan includes steps to protect the U.S. nutrition safety net from fraud and foreign exploitation and to safeguard critical food system infrastructure.

- Biosecurity and animal/plant health: the administration emphasized efforts to detect and control foreign animal disease and other biological threats to livestock and crops.

Administration actions and next steps

Rollins said the administration had already canceled seven agreements and signed a memo removing 70 people from USDA arrangements; she said regulatory action is planned to remove more than 550 entities from USDA's preferred vendor or collaborator lists. Rollins and other officials said additional executive and legislative steps are being pursued, and Rollins said the initiative will include metrics to measure progress.

Officials cautioned that some elements will require new regulations or legislation, and multiple speakers framed the work as a long‑term, interagency effort. "This is just the beginning," Rollins said, adding the administration would publish further steps and metrics over coming months.

Voices at the event

- Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, announced the plan and described the seven priorities and the immediate cancellations and removals.

- Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, said he needs to know who owns land around U.S. bases and described food and supply resilience as national security priorities.

- Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice will use its authorities to "secure, defend, and protect our ag community," including criminal prosecutions tied to biothreats and smuggling.

- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem framed food policy as national security and emphasized customs and border protection's role in inspecting ag imports.

- White House counselor Peter Navarro and several Republican governors and members of Congress urged aggressive action on foreign ownership, citing past acquisitions such as Smithfield and Syngenta as examples of the risks speakers see in foreign control of parts of the agricultural system.

What officials did not specify

Rolling announcements and many participants emphasized planned executive orders, regulatory steps and legislative options but did not provide precise timelines for specific legal changes, nor did they provide full legal descriptions of any new bans or of the clawback authorities they intend to use. Rollins said the administration would pursue "every available option" and that some measures would require partnering with Congress.

Ending

Rollins closed the formal remarks saying the announcement marks the start of a multiyear effort and inviting reporters to follow up as agencies publish additional details and metrics. "This is just the beginning," she said, and officials said further steps and measures will be announced in the months ahead.