On April 30, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567). The legislation extends agricultural programs through 2031 and contains significant national security elements, beyond the headline coverage of food stamp cuts and pesticide liability changes. Notably, the bill does not impose a sweeping ban on Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland or adopt most recommendations from the National Farm Security Action Plan. It does, however, introduce several provisions that will affect foreign investment, food supply chain security, and biosecurity.

Key Takeaways

  • Expanded CFIUS review over transactions involving agricultural land, agriculture biotechnology, and the agriculture industry, with the Secretary of Agriculture elevated to a permanent committee member for such transactions.
  • A new CFIUS notification pathway linked to AFIDA reporting, which could subject land acquisitions by persons of designated adversary nations to foreign investment scrutiny.
  • New restrictions on USDA financial assistance for solar projects on covered farmland and projects using components produced, manufactured, or assembled in or by foreign countries or entities of concern.
  • Strengthened AFIDA compliance and monitoring, including a revised and expanded public database of foreign-owned agricultural land.
  • “Buy American” provisions barring certain purchases of poultry and seafood from China and Russia in federally supported programs.

CFIUS membership and review. The bill would formally add the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for transactions involving agricultural land, agriculture biotechnology, and “the agricultural industry, including agricultural transportation, storage, and processing.” While United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is already a CFIUS member on a case-by-case basis for agriculture-related transactions, and USDA and Treasury have already entered into a memorandum of understanding for sharing AFIDA data on transactions involving countries of concern, the bill would elevate that membership to permanent status and create a distinct “reportable agricultural land transaction” notification pathway that triggers a mandatory CFIUS determination of whether to initiate a review.

  • Reportable transactions. Under the bill, “reportable agricultural land transaction” is defined as a transaction that meets three conjunctive requirements:
    • The Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe it is a covered transaction based on intelligence community information;
    • The transaction involves the acquisition of an interest in agricultural land by a foreign person of China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran; and
    • A person is required to submit a report under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) with respect to the transaction.
  • Mandatory review determination. Once notified by USDA, CFIUS must first determine whether the transaction is a “covered transaction” and if so, whether to initiate a review or take another action authorized under the statute.
  • Broad definition of agricultural land. Under AFIDA, “agricultural land” includes any land totaling 10 acres or more in the aggregate put to agricultural use at any time during the past five years, and leasehold interests of 10 years or more trigger reporting. For parties that acquire or lease former agricultural land for solar arrays, battery storage, or other infrastructure, this definition could bring routine transactions under CFIUS scrutiny.

Restrictions on USDA-supported solar development. The bill restricts funding for ground-mounted solar on agricultural land. The key limitations include:

  • Covered farmland prohibition. Section 9012 would prohibit financial assistance for projects converting “covered farmland” (defined to include both farmland (as defined in the Farmland Protection Policy Act), encompassing prime farmland, unique farmland, and farmland of statewide or local importance and nonindustrial private forest land) for solar energy production. Limited exceptions apply for:
    • projects converting less than 5 acres; or
    • projects converting less than 50 acres where the majority of the energy produced is for on-farm use and the project has received local government approval.
  • Foreign entity of concern supply chain restrictions. The bill bars funding for solar projects with components produced, manufactured, or assembled in a foreign country of concern, or by an entity domiciled or controlled by such a country or by a foreign entity of concern (FEOC).

Together, these provisions narrow the pipeline of USDA-supported solar development and impose new supply chain compliance requirements.

Strengthened AFIDA compliance and monitoring. The bill strengthens AFIDA compliance through several new mechanisms:

  • New database. USDA would create a centralized database of foreign-owned agricultural land.
  • Chief of Operations for Investigative Actions. A new position to oversee monitoring and enforcement.
  • Expanded annual reporting. Reports would expand to cover threats including “the use of agricultural land for industrial espionage or intellectual property transfer by covered foreign persons.”
  • Competitive grant program. An expanded grant program to protect U.S. food and agriculture from chemical, biological, cybersecurity, or bioterrorism threats, with the goal of enabling timely responses to both emerging and existing threats.

Buy American and food import restrictions. Among several “buy American” provisions, the bill would prohibit certain foreign food imports in federally supported programs. For instance, raw or processed poultry products or seafood from China and Russia would be banned from purchase by school food authorities.

Biosecurity and external threats. Additional provisions address biosecurity and external biological threats, including import controls on live animals, foreign animal disease preparation requirements, and measures targeting invasive species and bioterror threats.

What this means for stakeholders. The bill faces an uncertain path in the Senate. Companies and foreign investors acquiring agricultural land should be evaluating their exposure now. The combination of expanded CFIUS jurisdiction, new AFIDA-linked CFIUS notification pathways, and restrictions on USDA solar funding represents a meaningful shift that will require careful transaction planning and supply chain diligence.

Should you have any questions about how these provisions may affect your transactions or projects, Reed Smith’s International Trade & National Security team is tracking implementation of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 and is available to assist.