The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us in countless ways and exacerbated many critical problems facing our state, including within the agricultural and food industries. While these industries are essential to both the economy and the health of our families, the current system in place was not designed to handle an emergency of this magnitude and proved to be far too vulnerable to disruptions in the food supply chain and consumer demand. Over the past year, we watched as farmers in one part of the state were left with no market to sell their products and began throwing their food away, while families in other parts of the state were left struggling to put a meal on the table.[1]

Similarly, our commercial fishing industry is one of the cornerstones of the economy on eastern Long Island and across the state. The ongoing pandemic has severely disrupted the marketplace, causing serious economic hardship for our fishing families. It is imperative that we take the lessons we learned from this public health crisis and use them to address these ongoing issues and ensure we’re better prepared for future emergencies.

The legislation signed into law will gather expert advice, guidance and recommendations on the state’s food supply and related supply chain logistics in the wake of COVID-19 (Ch. 316 of 2020). Representatives from a variety of fields will provide input to the commissioners of Agriculture and Markets and Economic Development to ensure we have an adequate food supply in place that benefits our farms, food businesses, consumers, workers and families in need. The report is due by Dec. 1, 2021.

[1] nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html