U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and August Pfluger (R-TX) recently joined U.S. Reps. John Curtis (R-UT) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) to introduce legislation that would aid farmer and rancher cybersecurity efforts.
The Food and Agriculture Industry Cybersecurity Support Act would establish a food and agriculture industry clearinghouse within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), offering cybersecurity advice tailored to agricultural producers.
“Ensuring the stability of the country’s agriculture industry is crucial for Texans and all Americans,” Veasey said. “Unfortunately, increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks have eclipsed the security measures of smaller members of the industry. This bipartisan legislation will provide small businesses the opportunity to access a one-stop-shop of federal resources to protect their businesses from malicious cyberattacks.”
The legislation would also bolster agriculture sector cyber resilience by streamlining federal operations and increasing coordination with the private sector; require the Comptroller General to conduct and submit a report on the effectiveness of existing federal programs to improve the cybersecurity of the food and agriculture industry; and require a subsection of the report to be dedicated to an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of creating a food and agriculture industry-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC).
“We must protect our critical agriculture producers and food supply from bad actors and cyberattacks as the industry becomes increasingly digitalized,” Pfluger said. “This bill will also create a specialized helpline for producers seeking advice on preventative security measures or help responding to a ransomware attack. Let’s protect our producers.”