The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer ... - BMELV

Federal Ministry of 

Food, Agriculture 

and Consumer Protection 

The Federal Ministry 

of Food, Agriculture 

and Consumer Protection 

www.bmelv.de

2 3 The BMELV 

Dear Readers, 

Food, agriculture and consumer protection are core areas for 

action that are of decisive importance for the future of our 

society. 

Consumers in Germany want to have a wide range of high 

quality and healthy foods at their disposal. In addition, the 

safety of our foods may not be a question of price. Therefore 

high standards need to be complied with on the way from the 

field to the fork here and in the entire European Union. 

Rural areas make up around two-thirds of Germany‘s territory. 

It is our job to keep rural regions in top form for the challenges 

of the future: using land in a manner that is compatible with 

nature and ecology, dealing with demographic change, securing 

jobs and nationwide Internet access are urgent issues that 

call for new ideas. 

Our agricultural sector should continue to be firmly anchored 

at the core of society. Farmers ensure our nourishment, care for 

our unique cultural landscapes and create jobs outside of major 

conurbations. Renewable resources offer great potential, both 

as raw products for industry and also as an energy source of the 

future. My Ministry‘s policies also provide the forestry and fishery 

sectors with the best possible framework to meet the challenges 

of the future. 

Our foods are valuable and too good for the bin. Even so, 

there is far too much food waste in Germany. In cooperation 

with consumers, producers, distributors, large-scale consumers 

and actors of civil society, we are developing strategies 

against this waste.

The BMELV 3 

Consumers today are offered an ever-broader range of goods 

and services. This also means that it is becoming more difficult 

to find one‘s way around the variety of products. Here we provide 

consumers with information, advice and support. 

We protect consumers against hazards, increase transparency 

and strengthen their rights. This relates to everything from 

foods to financial products to the Internet. 

As you can see, our field of work is very broad and our commitments 

are diverse. In this brochure I would like to give you 

an outline of the Ministry‘s areas of activity and of our policy 

aims. 

If you wish to find out more about the work of the Federal 

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and 

current issues within our remit please visit our website 

www.bmelv.de. 

Yours sincerely, 

Ilse Aigner 

Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture 

and Consumer Protection

4 5 The BMELV

Contents 


Food 6 

Agriculture and Rural Areas 10 

Strong and Sustainable Rural Areas 

in Germany 12 

Agriculture 12 

Forestry 14 

Fisheries 14 

Consumer Protection 16 

Food Safety 18 

Strengthening the Position of 

Consumers 19 

International Affairs 20 

The Ministry 24 

Visitors' Service 28


Food

The BMELV 7


The German food industry is one of our country’s most innovative 

and productive economic sectors. “Made in Germany” 

stands for internationally acclaimed quality and for a huge variety 

in terms of the products on offer, particularly in the food 

sector. Almost five million people are employed by the German 

agricultural and food industries. They contribute a share of 

seven percent to our economic strength. 

The Federal Government’s aim is to balance consumer demands 

for high-quality foods with the economic interests of 

producers and the retail sector. Food safety is always the top 

priority in this regard in terms of precautionary consumer 

protection.


What we eat and drink also has an influence on our well-being 

and physical and mental abilities. Food is also part of our culture, 

however: joint meals serve as a meeting place and provide 

an opportunity for families and friends to hold conversations. 

Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and 

Consumer Protection (BMELV) encourages people to enjoy a 

healthy diet by promoting safe and prime quality foodstuffs. 

This includes conveying information about the basic principles 

for a healthy diet, which is promoted for example via the 

National Action Plan scheduled to run until 2020 “IN FORM – 

German national initiative to promote healthy diets and physical 

activity”.


Agriculture and 

Rural Areas



Strong and Sustainable Rural Areas in Germany 

Rural areas make up around two-thirds of Germany’s national 

territory. About 70 percent of the population live outside major 

cities; more than three quarters of all municipalities have fewer 

than 5,000 inhabitants. The countryside is full of appealing and 

growing regions. However, some parts of the population live 

in structurally weaker areas that are confronted with high unemployment, 

the exodus of the younger generation and demographic 

aging of the local population. This calls for new ideas 

in order to supplement tried-and-tested concepts, such as promoting 

additional income alternatives. The Federal Ministry’s 

aim is to maintain the diversity of rural areas, to boost their 

strengths and economic power and to support social cohesion 

through voluntary commitment. 

Agriculture 

Together with our forests, Germany’s landscape is characterised 

by arable land, meadows and pasture land. Farmers manage 

more than half of the total national territory. Around 

1.1 million people are currently working full-time or parttime 

in approximately 300,000 agricultural holdings and about 

40,000 young people are being trained in green occupations. 

This makes agriculture an important employer – yesterday, today 

and tomorrow. 

Germany’s agriculture is characterised by great variety in terms 

of natural conditions, the different sizes and organisational 

structures of agricultural holdings, the various production 

methods used and the abundance of regional foods and raw


products available. Sustainable agriculture and forestry are the 

prerequisites for protecting our natural resources – soil, water 

and air – and for maintaining biological diversity. Protecting 

these natural resources and welfare-orientated husbandry of 

farm animals are special concerns of the Ministry. We also devote 

a great deal of attention to ensuring that green genetic 

engineering is conducted responsibly. 

The production of high-quality foods is a major task for the 

agricultural sector because demand continues to rise due to a 

growing world population and the increasing desire for highquality 

products such as meat, milk, fruit and vegetables. 

Yet, today’s farmers are also increasingly involved in growing 

energy. Against the backdrop of the EU’s and Germany’s ambitious 

policy objectives in climate and resource protection and 

in view of rising energy prices, the sustainable use of regenerative 

sources of energy provides additional opportunities. The 

domestic agricultural sector is now a major producer of biomass 

for the production of electricity, heat and biofuels. There 

is also a demand for renewable resources as materials and for 

uses in the chemical industry. Around two million hectares of 

arable land are currently used in Germany for the cultivation of 

renewable resources. This enables us to tap innovative potential, 

to create jobs and to safeguard incomes in rural areas. 

The Federal Ministry’s aim is to create optimal conditions to 

enable the German agricultural industry to be modern, multifunctional 

and innovative. The BMELV has initiated a broad social 

dialogue on the future tasks of the agri-food sector in Germany. 

Based on the results of this debate, the BMELV presented 

the “Charter for Agriculture and Consumers” in early 2012. In 

five areas of action, the Charter describes important measures 

for the future structuring of German food and agricultural policy, 

also taking account of consumer expectations. 

The Federal Ministry also advocates cutting red tape. In addition 

to this, agricultural social security policy supports the 

social security of self-employed farmers by providing a special 

system adapted to the farming profession. Hence, agricultural 

social policy is a practised element of our Social Market 

Economy.


Forestry 

One third of Germany is covered in forests. Over two million 

forest owners in Germany are responsible for the sustainable 

management of the forests. Forests play a very important role 

as complex ecosystems that improve the air, water and the climate, 

as a habitat for a variety of flora and fauna, and in providing 

people with a highly valued environment in which to 

relax, move around and enjoy nature. The forests also supply 

wood, an environmentally friendly raw material. The use of domestic 

species of wood remains an important prerequisite for 

enabling our forests to be managed sustainably. Wood is also 

increasingly being used for energy generation. Forestry is also 

an important employer. Around 1.2 million people work in forestry 

and forest-based industries. 

The Federal Ministry is supporting efforts to expand the use of 

wood, to encourage sustainable forest management and to preserve 

forest biological diversity. 

Fisheries 

Fishing is a traditional industry in the coastal regions of Germany 

and also in some inland areas. It shapes the life, culture 

and tourism of these areas. The more than 40,000 people 

who are employed in this sector provide consumers with over 

1.2 million metric tons of high-quality fishery products from 

the sea and inland waters each year. 

Sustainable use of our global fish stocks is more important today 

than ever before, so that future generations can also be 

supplied with fish, a high-quality and healthy food. The Ministry 

therefore advocates a fundamental realignment of the 

Common Fisheries Policy. Many fish stocks in EU waters and 

around the world are still in poor condition. Sustainable fisheries 

means first and foremost aligning the catch capacities to 

existing fishing possibilities and this has already been imple-


mented in Germany. Furthermore, a modern form of fisheries 

management must be evolved. The introduction of bans on 

discards and landing obligations are decisive for this in order to 

avoid undesired by-catches as far as possible and to put an end 

to the irresponsible waste of ocean resources. These measures 

must be accompanied by effective fishery controls and forceful 

abatement of illegal fishing so that the consumers’ trust can 

be regained. The Federal Government expressly supports the 

introduction of certification systems for sustainable fisheries, 

such as the Marine Stewardship Council. 

Alongside sea fisheries, inland fishing (including aquaculture) 

also plays an important role for the fishing industry as there are 

more than 1,000 full-time enterprises and almost 20,000 parttime 

enterprises engaged in this sector. Eighty percent of the 

fish produced here comes from aquaculture, the fishing sector 

with the greatest potential for growth. Twenty percent is supplied 

by traditional river and lake fisheries. In addition to professional 

fishermen, more than 1.5 million recreational fishermen 

use and manage Germany’s water bodies.


Consumer Protection



Food Safety 

Protecting health through safe, high-quality foods is an important 

task for the Ministry. New products and ingredients 

that enter the market must, like all products in the production 

chains, adhere to high standards. On principle, preventive consumer 

protection has priority over economic interests. 

Foods are increasingly being traded on a global scale, therefore 

there is a Europe-wide and internationally aligned system that 

guarantees food safety. The BMELV and its authorities ensure 

that risks are continuously assessed and that the standards and 

structures are brought into line with new findings in close cooperation 

with the Federal States. Their job is to monitor foods 

and the market. 

The Federal Ministry forcefully advocates transparent labelling 

of foods that prevents deception and fraud and serves as an important 

decision-making aid for consumers.

Strengthening the Position of Consumers 


Consumer policy ensures safety and self-determination in order 

to enable consumers to shape their consumer behaviour 

themselves in our complex economy. This requires a regulatory 

framework that strengthens the market position of consumers, 

protects their health and prohibits deception and fraud. 

Other issues of great concern to the Federal Ministry of Consumer 

Protection are adequate consumer information and the 

strengthening of everyday competencies, particularly of young 

people. 

If consumers can rely on being protected and are provided 

with credible information, they can develop trust in products 

and markets. This trust will prompt and influence purchasing 

decisions. The purchasing decisions will, in turn, contribute to 

controlling the market. Consumer policy is economic policy 

seen from the demand side. 

In the energy or telecommunications sector, consumers can already 

choose between competing offers. In many areas of consumption, 

Internet trade has complemented or replaced traditional 

forms of shopping. Individual responsibility and private 

pension plans for the old age, nursing and healthcare sector are 

becoming increasingly important. These are important consumer 

policy challenges that the Federal Ministry of Consumer 

Protection is ready to face.


International Affairs



In our globalised world, we can no longer shape policy issues 

only with regard to Germany. This also applies to the BMELV’s 

field of activities, for instance with regard to European Union 

decisions on agriculture and fisheries, consumer policy and 

food. 

Therefore, the BMELV actively represents German interests 

within the European Union and the responsible multilateral 

organisations. The BMELV also performs a multitude of tasks 

related to issues of international cooperation. Here, the focus is 

on key issues such as the global food situation and climate protection, 

the dismantling of barriers in international trade, the 

maintenance of existing markets, the opening up of new markets 

and, not least, good bilateral relations with states on all 

continents.


The Ministry furthermore promotes political cooperation with 

third countries and international organisations by implementing 

numerous projects, which also contribute to improving 

global food security through practical measures. The Global 

Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), which took part alongside 

the International Green Week in Berlin, also was able to 

establish an internationally unique platform of agricultural 

ministers from around the world to deal with world food issues. 

At the global level, Germany is the third largest exporter of 

agricultural and food products. Today, the sector earns every 

fourth euro abroad. The Ministry supports the export activities 

of companies operating in the agricultural and food sectors, 

e.g. by participating in trade fairs, market studies, trade missions 

and export events.


The Ministry 

Berlin Office

Bonn Office 



Federal Minister 

Ilse Aigner 

Parliamentary State Secretary 

Peter Bleser 

Within the Federal Government, Federal Minister Ilse Aigner is 

responsible for structuring German food, agricultural and consumer 

policy and campaigns for these objectives and issues. 

She has been leading the BMELV since 31 October 2008. 

The Parliamentary State Secretaries Peter Bleser and Dr. Gerd 

Müller are in charge of the exchange of information between 

government and parliament. They represent the Federal Minister 

politically in the German Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the 

parliamentary groups. 

The Permanent State Secretary Dr. Robert Kloos represents 

the Federal Minister at the top level of the Ministry. As head of 

administration he is responsible for more than 900 members 

of staff at the BMELV in Bonn and Berlin. In addition, BMELV 

members of staff are seconded to German embassies and representations 

on all continents. 

The BMELV receives expert assistance in decisions for its food, 

agricultural, forestry, fisheries and consumer policies and the 

development of rural regions from its departmental researchers. 

The promotion of research and innovation are decisive 

prerequisites for solving problems of the future.

Parliamentary State Secretary 

Dr. Gerd Müller 


State Secretary 

Dr. Robert Kloos 

The institutions with approximately 5,000 staff members 

working within the BMELV’s sphere of operations comprise 

Y higher federal authorities (Federal Office of Consumer 

Protection and Food Safety [BVL]; Federal Office of Plant 

Varieties [BSA]), 

Y legally independent institutions (Federal Institute for Risk 

Assessment [BfR], Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food 

[BLE], German wine fund), 

Y four federal research centres (Julius Kühn Institute – Federal 

Research Centre for Cultivated Plants [JKI]; Friedrich Loeffler 

Institute – Federal Research Institute for Animal Health 

[FLI]; Max Rubner Institute – Federal Research Institute for 

Nutrition and Food [MRI] and Johann Heinrich von Thünen 

Institute – Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestries 

and Fisheries [vTI], 

Y recipients of institutional grants (e.g. German Biomass 

Research Centre [DBFZ]). 

The BMELV responds to questions from citizens about its fields 

of activity in writing via letter or e-mail. 

It has also joined the information network with the uniform 

official telephone number 115.

28 29 The BMELV

Visitors' Service 

Welcome to the BMELV! 


Y The BMELV invites organised groups to visit its Berlin and Bonn 

offices. 

Come and learn about the tasks and working practices of the 

Ministry and discuss political issues of interest to you with our staff. 

Registration 

by phone: ++49 / (0)30 / 18529 - 3183 

by e-mail: besucherdienst@bmelv.bund.de 

on the Internet: http://www.bmelv.deYMinisteriumY 

Besucherdienst

30 The BMELV 

Notes

Imprint 

Published by 

Federal Ministry of Food, 

Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) 

Division for Public Relations, Internet 

Wilhelmstraße 54 

10117 Berlin 

Status 

June 2012 

Layout 

design.idee, büro_für_gestaltung, Erfurt 

Photographs 

BMELV, BMELV/Bildschön, BMELV/ Dominik Reipka; BMELV/ 

Walkscreen, Bundesregierung/Kugler, www.oekolandbau.de, BLE, 

Bonn/Photographs: Thomas Stephan, Getty Images, Kerstin Bänsch, 

Ursula Böhmer, Frank Ossenbrink 

Printed by 

BMELV 

Ordering Information 

You can order this and other publications free of charge: 

Internet: www.bmelv.de→Service→Publikationen 

E-mail: publikationen@bundesregierung.de 

Fax: ++49 / (0)1805-77 80 94 

(In Germany: fixed fee of 14 ct/min, fees from mobile 

phone networks or from abroad may vary) 

Phone: ++49 / (0)1805-77 80 90 

(In Germany: fixed fee of 14 ct/min, fees from mobile 

phone networks or from abroad may vary) 

By mail: Publikationsversand der Bundesregierung 

Postfach 48 10 09 | D-18132 Rostock 

This brochure is published as part of the public relations activities 

of the Federal Government. It may not be used by political parties 

or groups for electioneering purposes during an election campaign. 

For further information please go to: 

www.bmelv.de 

The BMELV is certified as 

a family-friendly employer

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