"Clamping Down on Chinese Land Grabs: New Bill Eyes U.S. Farmland"
Legislation Proposed to Refuse Chinese Purchases of U.S. Agricultural Land
On Fox Business' "Varney & Co," Ashley Webster discusses a new bill, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Improvements Act (AFIDA), aiming to bolster U.S. oversight of foreign ownership of agricultural land, particularly in relation to China's acquisitions.
Recently, a group of bipartisan lawmakers, including Senators Pete Ricketts, Tommy Tuberville, John Fetterman, and others, have introduced the AFIDA bill. This move was initially reported by Fox News Digital. The legislation is designed to address deficiencies in the original AFIDA, which was found inadequate by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in their January 2024 report.
According to Fox News Digital, the bill's measures include requiring reporting for foreign persons holding more than 1% interest in U.S. farmland, enhancing information sharing between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the Department of Agriculture, and updating the AFIDA handbook for clearer compliance.
The AFIDA Improvements Act aims to send a clear message to countries like China, limiting their influence over U.S. food supply chains and safeguarding sensitive sites, such as military bases. The bill's supporters argue that food security is national security, and this legislation is intended to protect against foreign infiltration of U.S. agricultural supply chains.
As of 2023, Chinese investors owned over 277,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, with this figure varying slightly in different USDA reports. Chinese ownership is present in multiple states and has grown substantially over the past decade. The AFIDA Improvements Act will make it more challenging for Chinese entities to purchase U.S. farmland, particularly near sensitive sites.
Half of U.S. states currently prohibit foreign ownership of farmland, with several enacting legislation limiting or prohibiting the purchase of agricultural land by foreign entities and governments in recent years. The AFIDA Improvements Act follows this trend, signaling a growing commitment to securing America's agricultural land from foreign adversaries.
The AFIDA bill is still under consideration as of mid-2025, but it represents a significant shift toward stricter regulations and heightened national security precautions regarding foreign investment in American farmland.
Contributions to this report by Fox News Digital's Dierdre Heavey.
- The new bill, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Improvements Act (AFIDA), is part of a growing policy-and-legislation trend aimed at addressing foreign investments, particularly Chinese investment, in U.S. farmland, highlighting the intersection of politics and general-news.
- The AFIDA Improvements Act, still under consideration as of mid-2025, signifies a substantial investment in securing America's agricultural land from foreign adversaries, demonstrating a commitment to both national security and domestic agricultural policy.
