Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany)

The Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture ( German : Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft ), abbreviated BMEL , is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany . Its primary headquarters are located in Bonn with a secondary office in Berlin . From 1949 to 2001 it was known as the Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry ( German : Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten ). Through an organizational order by the German ChancellorOn January 22, 2001, it became the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture after the Consumer Protection Function was transferred from the Federal Ministry for Health ( Bundesministerium für Gesundheit ). The name Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection was adopted on 22 November 2005.

Organization

The current Minister for Food and Agriculture is Christian Schmidt . The Parliamentary State Secretaries are Maria Flachsbarth and Peter Bleser . Robert Kloos is the Permanent State Secretary. In addition to the Ministry Management, it consists of six departments (as of October 2014):

  • Department 1: Central Division
  • Department 2: Nutrition, product safety, innovation
  • Department 3: Food safety, animal health
  • Department 4: Rural Development, Agricultural markets
  • Department 5: Bio-based economy, sustainable agriculture and forestry
  • Department 6: EU policy, International cooperation, fisheries

Agencies

Under the auspices of the BMEL are various Federal agencies, legally independent institutions under the law and government research institutes:

  • Federal Office of Consumer Safety and Food Safety
  • Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food
  • Federal Office of Plant Varieties
  • Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
  • Julius Kühn-Institute , Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants
  • Friedrich-Loeffler Institute , Federal Research Institute for Animal Health
  • Max Rubner Institute, Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Food
  • Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries
  • Agency for Renewable Resources

Federal Ministers

Political Party: CSU CDU FDP SPD Green

Name
(Born-Died)
Party Term of Office Chancellor
(Cabinet)
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests
Wilhelm Niklas
(1887-1957)
CSU September 20, 1949 20 October 1953 Adenauer
( I )
Heinrich Lübke
(1894-1972)
CDU 20 October 1953 September 15, 1959 Adenauer
(II • III)
Werner Schwarz
(1900-1982)
CDU September 30, 1959 26 October 1965 Adenauer (III • IV • V) 
Erhard (I)
Hermann Höcherl
(1912-1989)
CSU 26 October 1965 21 October 1969 Erhard (II) 
Kiesinger ( I )
Josef Ertl
(1925-2000)
FDP October 22, 1969 September 17, 1982 Brandt ( I • II ) 
Schmidt ( I • II • III)
Björn Engholm b.1939
)
SPD September 17, 1982 1 October 1982 Schmidt
(III)
Josef Ertl
(1925-2000)
FDP 4 October 1982 March 29, 1983 Kohl
( I )
Ignaz Kiechle
(1930-2003)
CSU March 30, 1983 21 January 1993 Kohl
( II • III • IV )
Jochen Borchert
(1940)
CDU 21 January 1993 October 26, 1998 Kohl
( IV • V )
Karl-Heinz Funke b.1946
)
SPD 27 October 1998 January 12, 2001 Schröder
( I )
Federal Minister for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture
Renate Künast
(b 1955)
Green January 12, 2001 4 October 2005 Schröder
( I • II )
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
Horst Seehofer
(b 1949)
CSU November 22, 2005 27 October 2008 Merkel
( I )
Ilse Aigner
(b 1964)
CSU 31 October 2008 30 September 2013 Merkel
( I • II )
Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture
Hans-Peter Friedrich
(b 1957)
CSU 17 December 2013 February 14, 2014 Merkel
( III )
Christian Schmidt
(b 1957)
CSU February 14, 2014 incumbent

See also

  • List of Federal Ministers of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (Germany)
  • Julius Kühn-Institute
  • Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)