US bans China from buying farmland

Telegraph

a day ago

The US is banning Chinese buyers from purchasing farmland amid concerns over national security.
Brooke Rollins, the head of the department of agriculture, announced on Tuesday that the US government plans to prohibit sales of farmland across the country to buyers from China and other adversaries to protect US food security.
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, and Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, she also announced the administration is looking at clawing back land purchased by entities from China, Russia and Iran.
'American agriculture is not just about feeding our families, but about protecting our nation and standing up to foreign adversaries who are buying our farmland, stealing our research, and creating dangerous vulnerabilities in the very systems that sustain us,' Ms Rollins said.
Chinese investors currently hold around 280,000 acres of US farmland, according to USDA data, equating to around 0.03 per cent of total agricultural land.
Around half of this is tied to a single company, Smithfield Foods, a meat giant which has come under fire from lawmakers because of its Chinese owners.
Smithfield is owned by WH Group, a conglomerate owned by billionaire Wang Long.
Company chiefs push back
The US chiefs of Smithfield and Syngenta, a pesticide supplier, have pushed back against criticism, saying overseas investment has helped create jobs.
Mr Hegseth said that foreign adversaries buying farmland close to military bases was a particular cause for concern, adding that blocking these sales would help ensure supplies reach soldiers, 'especially in a contingency'.
'No longer can foreign adversaries assume we aren't watching,' he said.
State lawmakers have long warned that China could use US farmland to facilitate espionage or threaten US food security.
Scrutiny has stepped up in recent years following a controversial 2022 land deal in North Dakota, where Chinese-owned Fufeng Group bought hundreds of acres for a corn mill around 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force base.
The purchase was ultimately blocked by local officials, who cited national security concerns.
The case drew attention to a loophole in foreign investment rules that allowed foreign adversaries to buy land near military facilities not formally listed as sensitive sites.