Virginia will ban foreign adversaries, including China, from buying agricultural land in the commonwealth after legislators in the House of Delegates and Senate recently approved versions of the proposal and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his expected signature. The ban would be retroactively effective from Jan. 1.
Prohibiting China from buying farmland in Virginia tops Youngkin’s legislative agenda this year.
“Virginians—not the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]—should own the rich and vibrant agricultural lands God has blessed us with. That is why I am asking the General Assembly to send me a bill to prohibit dangerous foreign entities tied to the CCP from purchasing Virginia farmland,” he said in his State of the Commonwealth address at the beginning of the 2023 legislative session. “The stakes are too high, and the consequences are too great.”
The law will also require Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to publish an annual report of foreign land ownership to the governor and General Assembly. The inaugural report is due on the VDACS website by July 1. The law, once enacted, won’t affect any transactions that were completed before this year.
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