Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would create a criminal offense for importing high-risk agricultural biological agents.
The Preventing Lethal Agricultural and National Threats Act would establish a new federal crime for knowingly or recklessly importing high-risk agricultural pathogens without prior U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorization. This would enable law enforcement to intervene earlier in the process.
For standard violations, the penalty would be up to 10 years in prison. The penalty increases to up to 20 years in prison if the offense is conducted on behalf of, or in coordination with, a foreign government; causes more than $1 million in economic damage; or involves intentional concealment of the material’s origin.
The USDA, Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice would be provided with stronger legal tools to detect, disrupt, and prosecute agroterrorism and bio-crimes.
U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Josh Riley (D-NY) introduced the bill.
“Smuggling deadly pathogens isn’t just reckless – it’s a direct threat to Iowa’s farmers and the U.S. food supply,” Nunn said. “This incident is a stark reminder of the evolving threat from hostile foreign actors like the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), who target America’s critical infrastructure and undermine biosecurity.”