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The Committee on Food and Agriculture
2
“The Committee on Food and Agri-
culture deals with a wide range
of issues. Its 38 members work
to promote a sustainable agri-food
sector, to boost family farms, and to
ensure that rural areas continue to
offer a good quality of life. Promot-
ing healthy food, enhancing animal
welfare and securing the future
viability of the forestry and fishing
sectors, horticulture and wine-
growing are all subjects which
feature on the Committee’s agenda,
as well as promoting world food
security. The Committee’s shared
aim is to boost society’s apprecia-
tion of the services farmers provide
and the safe and high-quality food
they produce.”
Alois Gerig, CDU/CSU
Chairman of the Committee on Food
and Agriculture
3
The German Bundestag’s
decisions are prepared by its
committees, which are estab-
lished at the start of each elec-
toral term. Four of them are
stipulated by the Basic Law,
the German constitution: the
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
the Defence Committee, the
Committee on the Affairs of
the European Union and the
Petitions Committee. The
Budget Committee and the
Committee for the Rules of
Procedure are also required
by law. The spheres of respon-
sibility of the committees
essentially reflect the Federal
Government’s distribution of
ministerial portfolios. This
enables Parliament to scruti-
nise the government’s work
effectively.
The Bundestag committees
The German Bundestag sets
political priorities of its own
by establishing additional
committees for specific sub-
jects, such as sport, cultural
affairs or tourism. In addition,
special bodies such as parlia-
mentary advisory councils, The committees discuss and
committees of inquiry or deliberate on items referred
study commissions can also to them by the plenary. They
be established. The commit- also have the right to take up
tees are composed of mem- issues on their own initiative,
bers of all the parliamentary allowing them to set priorities
groups, reflecting the balance in the parliamentary debate.
of these groups in the German When necessary, they draw
Bundestag. The distribution on external expertise – usu-
of the chairs and deputy ally by holding public hear-
chairs among the parliamen- ings. At the end of a commit-
tary groups also reflects their tee’s deliberations, a majority
relative strengths in the ple- of its members adopt a recom-
nary. In the current electoral mendation for a decision and
term, the committees have a report, which serve as the
between nine and 49 mem- basis for the plenary’s deci-
bers. sion.
5
The Committee on Food and
Agriculture has 38 members
and is chaired by Alois Gerig
(CDU/CSU), with Carina
Konrad (FDP) as his deputy.
The Committee members
deal with a wide spectrum
of issues relating to food and
agriculture, as well as con-
sumer health protection.
Although the latter issue is
not part of the Committee’s
name, key aspects of it fall
within the Committee’s remit,
including consumer health
protection in relation to food
and consumer products (such
as clothing, cleaning and
maintenance products, cos-
metics, toys and tobacco
products). The Committee is
the parliamentary counterpart
of the Federal Ministry of
Food and Agriculture.
The Committee on
Food and Agriculture
The topic of “food” in the
Committee’s name draws
together issues of all kinds
relating to healthy food, nutri-
tion education, the handling
and sale of food, food safety
and quality monitoring, food
labelling and food research.
The German agri-food sector’s
opportunities in the global
value chain, world food secu-
rity and international agricul-
tural cooperation are also part
of this policy field.
Numerous regulations and society, and starts in child
checks ensure that the food day care centres and schools.
which ends up on supermar- In this context, the Committee
ket shelves is safe to eat. It is focuses in particular on the
also important for consumers food policy pursued by the
to know what they are buying: Federal Government and the
meaningful, pragmatic label- Federal Ministry of Food and
ling must enable them to see Agriculture. It is essential to
what ingredients or allergens find the right and appropriate
are contained in foodstuffs. response to the growing shift
Then there are eating habits: to foodstuffs being traded
the question of what consti- globally, to new ingredients
tutes “healthy food” has to be and products coming onto
considered from a very young the market, to the potential
age. Encouraging children to emergence of new pathogens,
develop a varied and balanced or to changes in consumers’
diet is an important task for eating habits.
13 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CDU/CSU
8 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SPD
5 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ AfD
4 ■ ■ ■ ■ FDP
4 ■ ■ ■ ■ The Left Party
4 ■ ■ ■ ■ Alliance 90/The Greens
Number of members: 38
Chairman: Alois Gerig, CDU/CSU
Deputy Chairwoman: Carina Konrad, FDP
7standards in animal hus-
bandry, approaches to dealing
with animal diseases, and
The topic of “agriculture” in appropriate and environmen-
the Committee’s name refers tally safe use of crop protec-
to its parliamentary responsi- tion products and fertilisers,
bility for national agricultural as well as hunting, which
policy and its role in scruti- contributes to the conserva-
nising the European Union’s tion of animal and plant habi-
common agricultural and fish- tats. The Committee’s deliber-
eries policy. The Committee’s ations also cover wood,
tasks include supporting rural among other things as a
regions and social policy for renewable construction mate-
the agricultural sector. Agri- rial, and fishing, including
culture in Germany is still aquaculture and maritime
dominated by family farms. policy. Naturally, the policy
Agriculture stands for animals field of agriculture also covers
and plants, forestry and hunt- the major economic issues
ing, the climate and the envi- relating to the national imple-
ronment, organic farming mentation of the EU’s Com-
and renewable raw materials. mon Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Agriculture means crop farm- and Common Fisheries Policy
ing, horticulture and wine- (CFP). In the current electoral
growing. The maintenance term, one particularly impor-
of cultivated landscapes and tant issue will be the negotia-
efforts to enhance quality of tions on the design of the CAP
life in villages and rural areas in the next funding period
also fall within this part of the from 2021 onwards. This is
Committee’s remit. Relevant especially true against the
issues also include the social backdrop of the United King-
security arrangements for dom’s impending exit from
agricultural workers, the use the EU (Brexit). With regard to
of biomass as a renewable the CFP, the Committee seeks
energy source, animal feed, to ensure that the sustainabil-
animal protection, welfare ity principle is upheld across
and health, high welfare the board in the management
8A large proportion of the
items of business for which
the Committee is the lead
of all fish stocks, in order to committee are bills, usually
safeguard the long-term future introduced by the Federal
of the German fishing sector, Government. There are also
fish trade and fish-processing a large number of motions
industry. The digital revolu- tabled by the parliamen-
tion, or in other words the use tary groups in the Bundes-
of new information and com- tag. These deal with matters
munication technology in the such as genetically modi-
agricultural sector, is of grow- fied products, approaches to
ing importance in the Com- plant protection products, the
mittee’s work. The Committee protection of bees, precau-
supports and scrutinises the tions to prevent outbreaks of
policies pursued by the Fed- animal diseases, changes to
eral Ministry of Food and land management and utilisa-
Agriculture. It is generally tion in eastern Germany, and
the lead committee in the adapting approaches to nutri-
Bundestag for matters relating ents in order to protect the
to food, agricultural, forestry environment. The Commit-
and fisheries policy. In addi- tee also regularly requests
tion, it is consulted by other briefings from the Federal
committees, such as the Com- Government, on the basis of
mittee on Economic Affairs interpellations tabled by the
and Energy, the Committee parliamentary groups, and
on Labour and Social Affairs, discusses the Federal Govern-
the Committee on the Envi- ment’s reports; these include
ronment, Nature Conservation the Forest Report, the Animal
and Nuclear Safety or the Welfare Report, the Agricul-
Finance Committee, when tural Policy Report, the Food
they deal with initiatives Policy Report, and the report
which touch on the remit of on the Federal Government/
the Committee on Food and Länder Joint Task for the
Agriculture. Improvement of Agricultural
9Structures and Coastal Pro
tection. In the case of items
referred to the Committee as
the lead committee, the Com-
mittee prepares recommen Employment, Social Policy,
dations and reports for the Health and Consumer Affairs
plenary, on the basis of which Council when it comes to
the Bundestag as a whole issues of consumer health
takes its decision. When the protection. The Committee
Committee on Food and Agri- also has a role to play in rela-
culture is asked for its opin- tion to international coopera-
ion on an item, it submits its tion (regarding free trade
recommendations to the lead agreements, for example),
committee, which takes them global trade (with regard to
into account in its delibera- the World Trade Organization)
tions. or the world food situation
The Committee devotes a (for example as part of eco-
great deal of time to EU items nomic cooperation and devel-
– draft regulations, directives, opment assistance). More
communications, green than 800 million people are
papers and much more – and still suffering from hunger
to the Federal Government’s and malnutrition – an unac-
reports on its activities within ceptable situation which has
the Council of the EU, espe- been further exacerbated by
cially the preparations for the consequences of climate
and follow-up to the meetings change. The Committees
of the Agriculture and Fisher- seeks not only to respond to
ies Council, which deals with political and humanitarian
subjects such as maritime pol- challenges, but also to set pri-
icy and agricultural exports, orities of its own. How can
but also the meetings of the new plant breeding technolo-
10gies (including “green genetic
engineering”) play a part in
solving food problems?
How can Germany’s domestic
markets be safeguarded and
improved without holding
back the development of agri-
cultural structures in develop-
ing countries and emerging
economies? These issues are
very important to the Commit-
tee members.
Dealing with all of the items Committee members to
which land on the Committee form their own impression
members’ desks requires a of a subject. In addition, the
wealth of detailed knowledge. Committee sends delegations,
But no matter how well-pre- normally consisting of nine of
pared they are, the members its members, on trips abroad
cannot clarify and resolve all to gather information about
issues and problems simply current issues, developments
by studying the documenta- and challenges in the field of
tion. For this reason, in-depth food and agricultural policy
talks are regularly held – often in the countries and regions
by the rapporteurs of the par- they visit. After returning to
liamentary groups – with Berlin, the members of the
experts, representatives of delegation report back to
associations, (grassroots) initi- the Committee about the trip.
atives and non-governmental In turn, representatives of for-
organisations, and with aca- eign parliaments and govern-
demics and researchers. Con- ments are often keen to hold
sultations and public hearings talks with the Committee
with experts are another valu- members during visits to the
able tool which enables the Bundestag.
11Carina Konrad,
FDP
Alois Gerig, Deputy Chairwoman,
CDU/CSU FDP spokeswoman on
Chairman the Committee
Farmer, manager, Agricultural specialist,
b. 30 Jan. 1956 b. 19 Sep. 1982
in Höpfingen; in Simmern, Hunsrück;
married; married;
three children. three children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2009 since 2017
Committee members
The 38 members of the Committee on Food and Agriculture
12Dr Michael
von Abercron, Artur Auernhammer, Silvia Breher,
CDU/CSU CDU/CSU CDU/CSU
Agricultural specialist, Farmer, Executive, lawyer,
b. 17 Nov. 1952 b. 9 Mar. 1963 b. 23 July 1973
in Ehlerstorf; in Oberhochstatt, in Löningen;
married; Weißenburg. married;
two children. Bundestag Member three children.
Bundestag Member from 2004 to 2005 Bundestag Member
since 2017 and since 2013 since 2017
Katharina Landgraf,
Hermann Färber, CDU/CSU Hans-Georg
CDU/CSU Land-improvement von der Marwitz,
Farmer, engineer, CDU/CSU
b. 26 Mar. 1963 b. 24 Feb. 1954 Farmer,
in Böhmenkirch, in Kirchengel, b. 8 Apr. 1961
Baden-Württemberg; Thuringia; in Heidelberg;
married; married; married;
five children. four children. four children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2013 in 1990 and since 2005 since 2009
13Johannes Röring,
Marlene Mortler, CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU CDU/CSU spokesman
Specialist in home on the Committee Albert Stegemann,
economics, Farmer, CDU/CSU
b. 16 Oct. 1955 b. 16 May 1959 Farmer,
in Lauf an der Pegnitz; in Vreden; b. 9 Mar. 1976
widowed; married; in Nordhorn;
three children. four children. unmarried.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2002 since 2005 since 2013
Kees de Vries,
CDU/CSU
Agricultural
Dieter Stier, Hans-Jürgen Thies, entrepreneur,
CDU/CSU CDU/CSU b. 30 Aug. 1955
Agricultural specialist, Lawyer, in Nibbixwoud,
b. 29 June 1964 b. 11 Aug. 1955 the Netherlands;
in Weißenfels; in Celle; married;
unmarried. married. six children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2009 since 2017 since 2013
14Katrin Budde, Johann Saathoff,
SPD Susanne Mittag, SPD
Workplace ergonomics SPD Public administration
specialist, Police officer, specialist,
b. 13 Apr. 1965 b. 25 July 1958 b. 9 Dec. 1967
in Magdeburg; in Cleveland, in Emden;
married; Ohio, USA; married;
two children. one child. five children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2017 since 2013 since 2013
Rainer Spiering,
SPD
SPD spokesman
on the Committee
Uwe Schmidt, Ursula Schulte, Vocational school
SPD SPD teacher,
Skilled port worker, Housewife, b. 27 Jan. 1956
b. 14 Feb. 1966 b. 9 Aug. 1952 in Dissen
in Bremerhaven; in Alstätte; (formerly Erpen);
married; married; married;
one child. two children. three children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2017 since 2013 since 2013
15Carsten Träger, Peter Felser,
SPD Dirk Wiese, AfD
Communications SPD Education specialist,
specialist, Lawyer, b. 20 Sep. 1969
b. 25 Oct. 1973 b. 11 July 1983 in Dillingen
in Fürth; in Paderborn; an der Donau;
married; married; married;
two children. one child. five children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2013 since 2013 since 2017
Franziska Gminder,
AfD
Business administrator, Wilhelm von Gottberg, Verena Hartmann,
b. 4 Feb. 1945 AfD AfD
in Gablonz Retired teacher, Communications
an der Neiße b. 30 Mar. 1940 specialist,
(now Jablonec in Woopen, b. 29 Mar. 1974
nad Nisou); East Prussia; in Räckelwitz;
married; married; married;
three children. six children. two children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2017 since 2017 since 2017
16Stephan Protschka,
AfD
AfD spokesman Karlheinz Busen,
on the Committee Nicole Bauer, FDP
Self-employed, FDP Civil engineer,
b. 8 Nov. 1977 Industrial engineer, b. 5 Apr. 1951
in Dingolfing; b. 19 Mar. 1987 in Gronau (Westphalia);
married; in Vilsbiburg; widowed;
two children. unmarried. three children.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2017 since 2017 since 2017
Heidrun Bluhm,
The Left Party
Dr Gero Architectural
Clemens Hocker, draughtswoman, Amira Mohamed Ali,
FDP social scientist, The Left Party
Economist, b. 18 Jan. 1958 Lawyer,
b. 30 June 1975 in Schwerin; b. 16 Jan. 1980
in Bremen; divorced; in Hamburg;
married. two children. married.
Bundestag Member Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
since 2017 since 2005 since 2017
17Dr Kirsten Tackmann,
The Left Party Harald Ebner,
Kersten Steinke, The Left Party Alliance 90/The Greens
The Left Party spokeswoman Alliance 90/The Greens
Agricultural specialist, on the Committee spokesman
b. 7 Dec. 1958 Veterinarian, on the Committee
in Bad Frankenhausen, b. 24 Sep. 1960 Agricultural specialist,
Thuringia; in Schmalkalden, b. 8 July 1964
married; Thuringia; in Göppingen;
two children. married; married;
Bundestag Member two children. two children.
from 1998 to 2002 Bundestag Member Bundestag Member
and since 2005 since 2005 since 2011
Markus Tressel,
Friedrich Ostendorff, Alliance 90/The Greens
Renate Künast, Alliance 90/The Greens Party manager
Alliance 90/The Greens Farmer, at Land level,
Lawyer, b. 12 Jan. 1953 b. 17 Apr. 1977
b. 15 Dec. 1955 in Dortmund; in Saarlouis;
in Recklinghausen; married; one child. married;
married. Bundestag Member two children.
Bundestag Member from 2002 to 2005 Bundestag Member
since 2002 and since 2009 since 2009
1819
Information online
The Committee on Food and Agriculture
www.bundestag.de/en/committees/a10
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
www.bmel.de/EN
The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety
www.bvl.bund.de/EN
The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food
www.ble.de/EN
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
www.bfr.bund.de/en
The Julius Kühn Institute –
Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants
www.julius-kuehn.de/en
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute –
Federal Research Institute for Animal Health
www.fli.de/en
The Max Rubner Institute –
Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food
www.mri.bund.de/en
The Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute –
Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas,
Forestry and Fisheries
www.thuenen.de/en
The Federal Centre for Food and Nutrition
www.bzfe.de
20Contact details for the Committee Secretariat
Deutscher Bundestag
Ausschuss für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 227-32580
Fax: +49 30 227-36022
Email: el-ausschuss@bundestag.de
21Published by: German Bundestag, Public Relations Division
Coordination: Robert Schönbrodt
Texts: Georgia Rauer; revised by: Committees Directorate (p. 4 – 5),
Secretariat of the Committee on Food and Agriculture (p. 6 – 21)
Edited by: Marianne Wollenweber
Translated by: Language Service of the German Bundestag,
in cooperation with Emma Hardie
Design: Marc Mendelson
Bundestag eagle: Created by Professor Ludwig Gies,
revised in 2008 by büro uebele
Photos: p. 2 Deutscher Bundestag (DBT) / Linus Lintner Fotografie; p. 8–9, 10,
19 DBT / Marco Urban; p. 11 DBT / Simone M. Neumann; p. 23 DBT / studio
kohlmeier
Portrait photos: p. 3, 12 Alois Gerig / Laurence Chaperon (Alois Gerig);
p. 12 DBT / Inga Haar (Carina Konrad); p. 13 DBT / Julia Nowak (Michael von
Abercron); DBT / Achim Melde (Artur Auernhammer); Silvia Breher /
Jan Kopetzky (Silvia Breher); Andreas Essig (Hermann Färber); Katharina
Landgraf / Jan Kopetzky (Katharina Landgraf); Hans-Georg von der Marwitz /
Laurence Chaperon (Hans-Georg von der Marwitz); p. 14 Marlene Mortler /
Elaine Schmidt (Marlene Mortler); DBT / Simone M. Neumann (Johannes
Röring); Hans Einspanier / fotogen GbR (Albert Stegemann); DBT / Achim
Melde (Dieter Stier); Soest county branch of the CDU / Jan Kopetzky (Hans-
Jürgen Thies); Kees de Vries / Martin Janne (Kees de Vries); p. 15 DBT /
Thomas Köhler / photothek (Katrin Budde); DBT / Julia Nowak (Susanne
Mittag); SPD party executive / Benno Kraehahn (Johann Saathoff); SPD party
executive / Susie Knoll (Uwe Schmidt); spdfraktion.de / Benno Kraehahn
(Ursula Schulte); spdfraktion.de / Benno Kraehahn (Rainer Spiering); p. 16
Carsten Träger / Susie Knoll (Carsten Träger); spdfraktion.de / Susie Knoll
(Dirk Wiese); Peter Felser / Harald Kaliwoda (Peter Felser); Franziska Gmin-
der / Fotostudio Akzente (Franziska Gminder); DBT / Thomas Trutschel /
photothek (Wilhelm von Gottberg); Verena Hartmann / Sven Lehmann
(Verena Hartmann); p. 17 DBT /Achim Melde (Stephan Protschka); DBT /
Thomas Trutschel / photothek (Nicole Bauer); DBT / Thomas Köhler / photo-
thek (Karlheinz Busen); Gero Clemens Hocker / Laurence Chaperon (Gero
Clemens Hocker); Heidrun Bluhm / Jörn Schulz (Heidrun Bluhm); Amira
Mohamed Ali / Peter Duddek (Amira Mohamed Ali); p. 18 The Left Party
in the Bundestag (Kersten Steinke); The Left Party in the Bundestag (Kirsten
Tackmann); Stefan Kaminski (Harald Ebner); Renate Künast / Laurence
Chaperon (Renate Künast); DBT / Thomas Trutschel / photothek (Friedrich
Ostendorff); Markus Tressel / Erik Marquardt (Markus Tressel)
Graphic: p. 7 Marc Mendelson
Printed by: Druckhaus Waiblingen Remstal-Bote GmbH
As at: July 2018
© Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin
All rights reserved.
This publication has been produced as part of the German Bundestag’s
public relations activities. It is provided free of charge and is not intended
for sale. It may not be used for election campaign purposes or utilised by
parties or parliamentary groups in their own public relations activities.23
The German Bundestag takes decisions on what are at times highly complex and controversial bills and parliamentary initiatives relating to the entire spectrum of policy fields. The committees play a central role in parliamentary deliberations. They are the forum where the Members thrash out compromises and draw on expert advice before submitting their reports and recommendations for decisions to be voted on by the Bundestag as a whole. www.bundestag.de/en/committees
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