This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on cybersecurity threats and weaknesses in the agriculture and food critical infrastructure sector every two years. The study must look at types of cyberattacks, potential impacts on food safety and availability, readiness of federal, state, local, and private groups, existing rules and practices, and gaps or opportunities. The Secretary must consult the Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (sector-specific ISAC) and sector coordinating councils and send each report to relevant congressional committees.
The bill also requires the Secretary, working with the Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and other agencies, to run an annual cross-sector simulation exercise about a food-related emergency or disruption for five years. Each exercise must involve realistic scenarios, multiple sectors and jurisdictions, private sector and academic experts (including the sector-specific ISAC), varied exercise methods, and feedback to participants. After each exercise the Secretary must provide an evaluation to participants and send Congress a report with findings and recommendations.
If you work in farming, food processing, distribution, retail, or related services, the bill calls for regular federal studies and exercises that include private sector participation. The studies and exercises aim to find cybersecurity and supply-chain weaknesses, improve coordination across sectors, and make recommendations to improve food system resilience. The bill requires reports to Congress but does not automatically change rules or require specific actions by private entities.
The bill authorizes $1,000,000 to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the simulation exercise section. There is no publicly available information in the bill text on specific funding amounts for the biennial risk assessments or other implementation costs beyond that authorization.
The bill states purposes that supporters would point to: assessing threats to food and agriculture systems, identifying gaps and vulnerabilities in the food supply chain, improving coordination and information sharing among stakeholders, evaluating current policies and resources, and producing best practices and recommendations to strengthen cybersecurity and resilience.
No publicly available information.