Bipartisan Bill Aims to Shield US Food Supply from Cyber Threats

Lawmakers have introduced the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act of 2025, a bipartisan initiative designed to protect America's agricultural sector and food supply chain from increasing cybersecurity threats. The bill, reintroduced in both chambers of Congress, mandates regular security assessments and crisis preparation exercises.

The legislation comes as digital transformation creates new cybersecurity challenges in agriculture, creating new vulnerabilities in America's food infrastructure, highlighted by incidents like the 2021 JBS Foods ransomware attack that disrupted meat processing operations nationwide.

Critical Protection Measures

The Act establishes three primary safeguards:

• Mandatory biennial cybersecurity risk assessments conducted by the Department of Agriculture and CISA
• Annual cross-sector crisis simulation exercises
• Enhanced collaboration between government and private sector stakeholders

Representative Brad Finstad [R-MN-1], who introduced the House version (H.R.1604), emphasized the connection between food security and national security: "With innovation and advancement in precision ag technology, the agricultural industry has become more technologically advanced, creating new challenges and vulnerabilities for farmers across southern Minnesota and the nation."

Industry Impact and Implementation

The legislation has garnered strong backing from industry leaders and cybersecurity experts. Matthew Eggers, Vice President for Cybersecurity Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the bill's importance in protecting "approximately 2.1 million farms, 935,000 restaurants, and more than 200,000 registered food-related facilities that collectively contribute approximately one-fifth of the nation's economic output."

Organizations must implement comprehensive supply chain security measures to meet these new requirements and protect critical infrastructure.

Strategic Implementation

The bill's passage could significantly impact how the agricultural sector approaches cybersecurity. Industry experts suggest this proactive approach could help prevent future disruptions similar to those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agricultural businesses must now focus on strengthening their supply chain data security protocols while preparing for enhanced regulatory requirements. The Department of Agriculture has published preliminary guidelines at www.usda.gov/cybersecurity to help organizations prepare for these changes.

The legislation represents a crucial step toward protecting America's food supply chain from evolving cyber threats while establishing a framework for future security measures in the agricultural sector.