Mobile Courant

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, along with several Senate colleagues, has introduced the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 to address the issue of foreign ownership of American farmland. This legislation aims to collect more information about foreign ownership and strengthen the protection of America's agriculture industry from foreign adversaries.

Senator Tuberville emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the country's food supply and preventing foreign entities from controlling American farmland. He states, "We can't let our enemies hold our food supply hostage. Right now, they're buying up more and more of the farmland that feeds our people. We need to get ahead of this. Our farms ought to stay American, and our farmers must continue to thrive and beat the competition."

The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 builds upon the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) of 1987. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office revealed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ill-equipped to combat nefarious foreign ownership of American agricultural land by foreign adversaries.

The proposed legislation sponsored by Senator Tuberville includes several key provisions:

1) Streamlining CFIUS Data Sharing: The legislation would require the USDA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to govern data sharing between the two entities.

2) Modernizing the AFIDA Handbook: The USDA would be directed to update its handbook for officials to collect AFIDA data, which has not been updated since 2006.

3) Better Implementation: The legislation would require the USDA to provide Congress with a timeline to meet specific implementation benchmarks for an online AFIDA submission system and public database.

4) Improving Data Verification and Monitoring: The USDA would be directed and enabled to validate foreign ownership data collected under AFIDA.

5) Identifying Suspected Non-Filers: The legislation would direct the USDA to leverage Farm Service Agency (FSA) data to identify individuals who have illegally not filed transactions with foreign persons under AFIDA.

6) Collecting Data from Every Foreign Investor: The legislation would require reporting for foreign persons with a minority stake in an agricultural land asset, including through ownership tiers or shell companies.

The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 has garnered support from several senators across party lines, including Sherrod Brown, Roger Marshall, John Fetterman, Marco Rubio, Tammy Baldwin, Bill Hagerty, Eric Schmitt, Katie Britt, Todd Young, and Joni Ernst.

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land has been on the rise, with China being a significant investor in recent years. According to USDA data from December 2021, foreign investors own approximately 40.8 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. Alabama, specifically, has the third-highest amount of foreign-owned agricultural land in the United States, with 1.8 million acres.

Senator Tuberville has been vocal about the need to address foreign ownership of American farmland and protect the country's food supply chain. The AFIDA Improvements Act of 2024 is a step towards ensuring that American farms remain in the hands of American farmers and continue to thrive without foreign interference.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, and HELP Committees.