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“China has captured significant market share for agricultural inputs that are vital to our domestic food supply, ceding our top adversary leverage and control. Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these inputs, food production could slow to a halt. My bipartisan bill will help reshore this critical supply chain to ensure Communist China does not have the power to restrict American food production.” - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
“Food security is national security, which means that we need to treat its vulnerabilities to the food supply chain like any other security threat. The food shortages we experienced during COVID were a major wake-up call – one that showed how critical our supply chains are. The Securing American Agriculture Act will require an assessment of the ways an adversary like China could disrupt our agriculture supply chains. That’s critical to making sure we are able to feed ourselves by ourselves.” - Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin
“We thank Congresswomen Hinson and Slotkin and cosponsors for introducing the Securing American Agriculture Act that will help U.S. decision-makers better understand how intrinsically linked our food and feed supply is with China’s input manufacturers. AFIA’s feed and pet food manufacturing members are gravely concerned about the United States’ dependency on China for vitamins and other critical inputs necessary to produce feed and pet food. Animals require daily vitamins for healthy growth, development and productivity. We must get ahead off these risks before they cause catastrophic animal welfare, food security or economic repercussions." - Constance Cullman, President & CEO of the American Feed Industry Association
Additional original cosponsors of the bill are Select Committee on Competition with Communist China Chairman Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, as well as Representatives Scott Franklin, Andre Carson, Ann Wagner, Don Davis, David Kustoff, Sharice Davids, Chuck Edwards, Thomas Kean, Darin LaHood, Brad Finstad, Mark Alford, Tony Gonzales, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Dan Newhouse, Zach Nunn, and Derrick Van Orden.
Background:
- According to the American Feed Industry Association, China controls over 90% of global production of many essential vitamins used in animal feed, including vitamin C and vitamin B6. A lack in availability of these vitamins would have significant impacts on animal health and productivity and lead to substantially higher production costs or potentially even shortages.
- China has also cornered the market for amino acids. Chinese manufacturers -- including the Fufeng Group -- control the global capacity for up to 85% of some essential amino acids used in animal feed.
- A 2021 study from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater found that, if left unchecked, China’s domination of the amino acids market would destroy 30 thousand American jobs and reduce economic activity by $15 billion per year.
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