The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the Biden administration is failing to track foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly Chinese investment, as required by law. The Department of Agriculture has not consistently shared timely data on foreign investments and has no plan to create an online database, despite Congress mandating one by 2025. Concerns about national security risks related to foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land have prompted Republican lawmakers to call for increased oversight and legislative action.
A review of USDA documents by NBC News found that Chinese entities have made very few purchases of U.S. farmland in the past year and a half, amounting to less than 1,400 acres, or less than three-hundredths of 1% of the country's agricultural land. However, the review also revealed lax reporting and enforcement of foreign ownership, with some transactions not being reported for years. The majority of foreign purchases were made by European wind power companies leasing land for wind turbines. Lawmakers are pushing for stricter regulations on foreign ownership due to national security concerns, but enforcement has been weak, with only a few penalties imposed in the past decade.
Residents of Green Charter Township in Michigan have celebrated a "huge victory" after a Chinese-owned industrial firm, Gotion, backed out of buying local farmland. While Gotion completed the purchase of 260 acres of derelict industrial land and 10 acres of disused farmland, the community refused to accept the takeover. Chinese firms now own over $2 billion worth of US farmland, with the Chinese Communist Party having a stake in 383,935 acres. Concerns have been raised about espionage, security, and the potential impact on the US food and energy supply. The fight against Chinese land ownership is gaining momentum, with lawmakers introducing bills to restrict foreign ownership and states considering measures to limit foreign control of US farmland.
The president of the National Black Farmers Association, John Boyd Jr., has warned that China is quietly taking over American farmland and food security. Chinese-owned companies have been purchasing large amounts of rural farmland in states like Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Virginia, with China estimated to control 383,000 acres of U.S. farmland. Chinese companies are outbidding American farmers for land, making it increasingly difficult for American farmers to compete. Boyd Jr. criticized the Biden administration for not taking action to stop farm foreclosures and called on lawmakers to pass legislation to prevent China from buying American farmland and companies. A bill has been introduced to block foreign adversaries from buying U.S. farmland, but it has not yet passed.
The president of the National Black Farmers Association, John Boyd Jr., has warned that China is quietly gaining control over American food security by infiltrating and purchasing large swaths of rural farmland in the United States. Chinese-owned companies are outbidding American farmers for land, driving up prices beyond what many American farmers can afford. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that China controls approximately 383,000 acres of U.S. farmland, generating $1.9 billion in investments in 2021. Boyd Jr. criticized the Biden administration for not taking action to prevent farm foreclosures while allowing Chinese companies to purchase American farmland and infrastructure. Lawmakers have introduced a bill to block foreign adversaries, including China, from buying U.S. farmland, but it has not yet passed. Boyd Jr. called for more aggressive legislation to protect American farmers and prevent China from gaining a strong foothold in the United States.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst and Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow propose an overhaul of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to prevent China from threatening American food security and national security by buying up agricultural land in the U.S. The bill would strengthen oversight authority at USDA to investigate foreign investment in the agricultural industry, upgrade tools to combat nefarious interests, develop a database of ag land by foreign persons, and create an audit of this ownership. The proposal comes in the wake of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an attempt to shore up relations between the two countries.
North Carolina lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill that would prevent hostile foreign countries, including China, from buying farmland or any land within 25 miles of a military base. The bill now heads to the state Senate, making North Carolina one of the latest states to pass such restrictive measures. The recent scrutiny of foreign ownership of farmland in states like North Carolina is putting a spotlight on Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, which was acquired 10 years ago by a Hong Kong-based company now known as WH Group.
