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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 rec om- 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 7 standards 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 8 A 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 inter pellations 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 9 Structures 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.

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