Agricultural, environmental and consumer protection policy
Mission: Equal development of the regions
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Consumer Protection considers itself to have a special responsibility for the rural regions in the state of Brandenburg.
The ministry is often the first point of contact in the state administration for the various interest groups and stakeholders in the policy areas that give it its name. In general, healthy and affordable regional food, biodiversity, the way in which land is managed, the protection and utilisation of forests, air, soil and water are cross-cutting issues that affect everyone. The decisive framework conditions in agricultural and environmental policy are set by international commitments that the Federal Republic of Germany has entered into. The EU's Common European Agricultural Policy and the Structural and Investment Funds are particularly worthy of mention here. However, Article 43 of the constitution of the state of Brandenburg also states:
"The state shall in particular promote the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the maintenance of the cultural landscape, the preservation of rural areas and the protection of the natural environment."
Rural development can and should help to ensure that rural life remains an attractive alternative to life in the city and that people keep their centre of life in the village. According to the Brandenburg constitution, the state guarantees
"structural support for the regions with the aim of creating and maintaining equal living and working conditions in all parts of the state."
Strengthening value creation in the agricultural and food industry
With the reorganisation of the state government in 2024, the entire agricultural value chain "from the field to the plate" can be managed by one ministry. This includes taking the lead in drafting state legislation, specifying funding programmes and supporting the promotion of regional products and the recruitment of skilled workers. The ministry strengthens the connection between producers, the food processing industry and consumers.
Agriculture forms the economic backbone of upstream and downstream sectors in rural regions. The food industry, with its mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, is one of the structurally defining sectors in the manufacturing industry nationwide.
Healthy environment
The Ministry stands for the protection of nature and the environment as an important basis for the country's development and aims to preserve natural resources and habitats in order to safeguard the basis of life for present and future generations. In accordance with the two-tier structure of the state administration, the Ministry fulfils the tasks of the highest agricultural, environmental and consumer protection authority. This includes, among other things, the technical supervision of the various specialist topics of the department, the possibility of proposing corresponding legislative initiatives or issuing ordinances, the development of funding programmes and the administration of funding.
Cooperation between the federal states
The 16 federal states and the federal government work closely together in the Bundesrat as part of their responsibilities in federal policy. There, the state representatives discuss all laws, ordinances and administrative regulations of the Federal Government and the Bundestag that affect their departments. In the consultations in the specialised committees of the Bundesrat (in particular the Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Affairs Committees), the ministry can contribute to the positions of the federal state before the bills are put to the vote in the Bundesrat meetings. The interests of the respective federal state play a decisive role here many improvements proposed by the federal states are incorporated into federal law in this way. The Bundesrat can also refuse to approve a federal law. In this case, a request is made to the Mediation Committee, in which an equal number of members from the Bundestag and Bundesrat are represented.
The federal states are directly involved in federal legislation via the Bundesrat. The Minister is also a member of the Federal Council's Environment and Agriculture Committees.
The Environment, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Conferences, which regularly meet twice a year, have also established themselves as the most important cooperation bodies. At these meetings, the responsible federal and state ministers discuss fundamental political issues and strategies, as well as the practical implementation of federal and European law. This objective is also served by federal-state working groups in which experts from the ministries regularly coordinate on topics such as immission control, soil and nature conservation, waste and water law or consumer protection and prepar decisions for the ministerial conferences.
Mission: Equal development of the regions
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Consumer Protection considers itself to have a special responsibility for the rural regions in the state of Brandenburg.
The ministry is often the first point of contact in the state administration for the various interest groups and stakeholders in the policy areas that give it its name. In general, healthy and affordable regional food, biodiversity, the way in which land is managed, the protection and utilisation of forests, air, soil and water are cross-cutting issues that affect everyone. The decisive framework conditions in agricultural and environmental policy are set by international commitments that the Federal Republic of Germany has entered into. The EU's Common European Agricultural Policy and the Structural and Investment Funds are particularly worthy of mention here. However, Article 43 of the constitution of the state of Brandenburg also states:
"The state shall in particular promote the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the maintenance of the cultural landscape, the preservation of rural areas and the protection of the natural environment."
Rural development can and should help to ensure that rural life remains an attractive alternative to life in the city and that people keep their centre of life in the village. According to the Brandenburg constitution, the state guarantees
"structural support for the regions with the aim of creating and maintaining equal living and working conditions in all parts of the state."
Strengthening value creation in the agricultural and food industry
With the reorganisation of the state government in 2024, the entire agricultural value chain "from the field to the plate" can be managed by one ministry. This includes taking the lead in drafting state legislation, specifying funding programmes and supporting the promotion of regional products and the recruitment of skilled workers. The ministry strengthens the connection between producers, the food processing industry and consumers.
Agriculture forms the economic backbone of upstream and downstream sectors in rural regions. The food industry, with its mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, is one of the structurally defining sectors in the manufacturing industry nationwide.
Healthy environment
The Ministry stands for the protection of nature and the environment as an important basis for the country's development and aims to preserve natural resources and habitats in order to safeguard the basis of life for present and future generations. In accordance with the two-tier structure of the state administration, the Ministry fulfils the tasks of the highest agricultural, environmental and consumer protection authority. This includes, among other things, the technical supervision of the various specialist topics of the department, the possibility of proposing corresponding legislative initiatives or issuing ordinances, the development of funding programmes and the administration of funding.
Cooperation between the federal states
The 16 federal states and the federal government work closely together in the Bundesrat as part of their responsibilities in federal policy. There, the state representatives discuss all laws, ordinances and administrative regulations of the Federal Government and the Bundestag that affect their departments. In the consultations in the specialised committees of the Bundesrat (in particular the Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Affairs Committees), the ministry can contribute to the positions of the federal state before the bills are put to the vote in the Bundesrat meetings. The interests of the respective federal state play a decisive role here many improvements proposed by the federal states are incorporated into federal law in this way. The Bundesrat can also refuse to approve a federal law. In this case, a request is made to the Mediation Committee, in which an equal number of members from the Bundestag and Bundesrat are represented.
The federal states are directly involved in federal legislation via the Bundesrat. The Minister is also a member of the Federal Council's Environment and Agriculture Committees.
The Environment, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Conferences, which regularly meet twice a year, have also established themselves as the most important cooperation bodies. At these meetings, the responsible federal and state ministers discuss fundamental political issues and strategies, as well as the practical implementation of federal and European law. This objective is also served by federal-state working groups in which experts from the ministries regularly coordinate on topics such as immission control, soil and nature conservation, waste and water law or consumer protection and prepar decisions for the ministerial conferences.