Young's Agro-Terrorism Preparedness Bill Passes U.S. House

Press Release

This afternoon, Iowa Congressman David Young's agro-terrorism preparedness legislation, the Securing our Agriculture and Food Act (H.R. 5346), was passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous support.

"The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act is an important step to protect our food, agriculture and livestock industries from high-risk events and agro-terrorism," Congressman Young said. "I appreciate my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives for working with me on this issue which is critical to our national security and food safety, for our children and families in Iowa and across the nation."

Introduced earlier this year, Congressman Young's legislation addresses concerns brought to light after Iowa suffered the largest animal disease outbreak in state history, when the 2015 avian influenza outbreak wiped out millions of layer hens, turkeys, and backyard flocks. Response efforts revealed problematic breaks in the federal government's ability to communicate with stakeholders and react quickly to large-scale animal disease outbreaks. This disaster also raised concerns among farmers and producers about whether our nation would be able to capably share information and respond to agro-terrorism threats and attacks, ultimately an attack against our nation's consumers.

Congressman Young's Securing our Agriculture and Food Act requires the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the assistant secretary for Health Affairs, to elevate preparedness of our nation's food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and high-risk events. The bill authorizes DHS to collaborate with other agencies, to ensure food, agriculture, and animal and human health sectors receive attention and are integrated into the DHS's domestic preparedness policy initiatives.

Congressman Young's Securing our Agriculture and Food Act was approved by the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee earlier this month and was reported favorably out of the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications in June. It will next head to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Speaking on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives before the bill passed, Congressman Young advocated for the legislation. Click here or on the image below to watch Congressman Young's full remarks.

Source