The federal government will keep a closer eye on threats to the U.S. food supply, such as cyberattacks and pandemic diseases, under a national security memorandum signed by President Biden.
The “threat landscape” has evolved since an early focus on terrorism, said senior administration officials during a briefing. “We see food and agriculture security equal to national security,” said one of the officials.
Agriculture, food and related industries contribute more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy annually. The White House said the goal of National Security Memorandum-16 is to assure the food system “is better prepared for threats that may harm the health of crops and livestock and cause shocks to the price or availability of food.” Biden signed the memorandum just before leaving on a trip to the UN climate conference and the G20 meeting in Indonesia.
“Our agriculture sector faces a variety of threats that could inhibit the cattle producers’ ability to bring beef from pasture to plate,” said Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “NCBA appreciates the Biden administration’s focus on identifying threats and developing ways to mitigate them.”
The memorandum directs nine federal departments, including USDA and Homeland Security, to identify and assess the greatest threats to the food and agriculture sector. Cyberattacks, climate change, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks were listed by the White House as among the areas for scrutiny.
As examples of the “deliberate and naturally occurring threats” to the food supply, the administration pointed to the 2021 ransomware attack that briefly shut down JBS cattle slaughter plants, the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza that has driven up egg and turkey prices, and warfare in Ukraine. Some 50.3 million chickens and turkeys in domestic flocks have died in the bird flu outbreak since early February. The Russian invasion of Ukraine throttled grain exports from the Black Sea region and disrupted shipments to import-reliant nations in the Middle East and northern Africa.
Under the memorandum, the federal government would coordinate with state, local, tribal and territorial governments to enhance the resilience of the food system and its workforce.
The food and agriculture system is regarded as critical infrastructure but it is privately owned so businesses and producers, in conjunction with local governments, would be the first line of response if a threat becomes real. The administration said, to be prepared for an agricultural incident, it would enhance the National Veterinary Stockpile, which includes vaccines, antivirals and other supplies to respond to epidemics of animal diseases, and strengthen the National Plant Disease Recovery System, which responds to “high consequence” plant disease outbreaks.
A White House fact sheet on the memorandum is available here.
To read the national security memorandum, click here.