GERMANY, Berlin. Change of minister in the agricultural ministry. Julia Klöckner hands over the reins to the Green politician.
According to his own statements, the new Federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, sees himself as the "supreme advocate of farmers, of those who provide the food on our table." At the same time, after his inauguration today, the Green politician promised help in the transformation "towards more animal welfare as well as environmental and climate protection."
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Germany
Özdemir becomes Minister of Agriculture
The Green Party's candidate for the agricultural portfolio has been decided. Cem Özdemir prevailed after long deliberations, the party's executive board announced on Thursday evening. more ››
Özdemir also sees his role as that of the "supreme animal protector of this country". This means that "there is no 'or' between agriculture and the environment". He said he agreed with Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke on this assessment. "Together we will tackle the greatest challenges of our time: the climate crisis and the preservation of biodiversity," Özdemir announced. However, these goals could only be achieved together with agriculture. The farms needed a clear economic and sustainable perspective. The new Minister emphasized the formative role of agriculture. In many places it was the guarantor "that villages were alive and rural areas were worth living in". Özdemir expressly thanked his predecessor Julia Klöckner and her team. He attested to the staff in Bonn and Berlin that they were "absolute experts in their respective fields."
Özdemir comes from Bad Urach in Baden-Württemberg. He was the federal chairman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen from 2008 to 2018. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1994 to 2002. From 2004 to 2009 he was a member of the European Parliament. In 2013 he returned to the Bundestag. In the last legislative period, Özdemir was chairman of the Bundestag Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure. In the 2021 Bundestag election, he was the first Green politician to be directly elected in the Stuttgart constituency.
Source: fleischwirtschaft.de; AgE