At the conclusion of the 4th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit on 21 January 2012, Ministers of Agriculture from 65 states of the world agreed on new strategies and closer cooperation in the fight against hunger.

Both in Germany and in neighbouring EU states, there has recently been a rise in the cases of "Schmallenberg virus". The virus has so far mainly affected sheep and goats but is now also increasingly hitting herds of cattle.

The BMELV advocates that consumers should be enabled to better understand the actual meaning of regional labels when shopping for groceries.

Almost a year ago it emerged that a feed company in northern Germany had used dioxin-contaminated industrial fats for the manufacture of feed. In response to the dioxin scandal, Federal Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner presented and pressed ahead with the "Action plan for consumer protection in the feed chain".

Laying hens are kept in a number of different husbandry systems in Germany. All husbandry systems allow for pecking, scratching, resting and nesting.

The variety of food available in supermarkets is tempting. When shopping for groceries it is easy to put more food in the shopping basket than is actually needed. And some of the food is then later thrown away, often because the best-before date has passed.

Secure rights of access to land and other productive resources are of existential importance to the majority of people in rural areas. They are a key factor for the implementation of the right to food.