Edited by Ben Nuelle
Washington D.C. ?President Donald Trump signed Iowa Congressman David Young?s bill, the Securing our Agriculture and Food Act (H.R.1238), into law Friday. This marks the second bill of Congressman Young?s to be signed into law in the past eight months.
?I want to thank the President and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for seeing the seriousness of this issue to make sure we have a safe and abundant food supply for our families. Agro-terrorism is a real threat and this legislation takes the necessary and critical steps to protect America from high-risk events which pose serious threats to our food, across Iowa and United States.? Congressman Young said.
H.R. 1238, elevates the nation?s preparedness of our food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and high-risk events through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
?Developing a strong network is key to effective mitigation and timely response efforts. Rep. Young?s bill is a step in the right direction to ensure our nation?s food supply is protected from high-risk threats that harm our consumers, producers’ livelihoods, export partners, and disrupt our rural Iowa economy,? Curtis Meier, President of the Iowa Pork Producers Association said.
?In light of the devastation to Iowa from the 2015 avian influenza outbreak, we appreciate Congressman Young?s efforts to enhance our response preparedness to protect farmers, their livestock, and our ag economy from the constant threat of future animal disease outbreaks,? Craig Hill, President Iowa Farm Bureau Federation said.
Young?s Securing our Agriculture and Food Act takes the critical steps to protect America from high-risk events which pose serious threats to our food, agriculture, and livestock industries across the United States by requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs to ensure food, agriculture, and animal and human health sectors receive attention and are integrated into the DHS?s domestic preparedness policy initiatives.
?The heightened global terror environment reminds us of the risks facing our country. The legislation President Trump signed into law today will better protect us from those who wish to attack our resources, including our food supply. Threats to US agriculture and livestock industries could devastate our food system, impacting millions of Americans, as well as our economy. I?m pleased to have worked together with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to pass legislation that will improve our agro-terrorism preparedness and emergency response measures.? U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Chairman Dan Donovan said.
Young’s bill was first introduced in 2016 and then again in January of 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 preparedness concerns and 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, producers and ag experts 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 citizens.
