Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has revealed that Renate Kunast, a trained lawyer and social worker, will become agriculture minister following the resignation of Social Democrat Karl Heinz-Funke over allegations of poor conduct over the BSE crisis.
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The choice of candidate, the co-leader of the Green Party, heralds a new approach for German agriculture towards environmental farming, and is a distinct move away from the 32-year tradition of hiring a farmer to the important post. It may in fact be that, after national papers spoke of a government crisis over the mad cow issues, it is more important for Schroeder to calm consumer critics than to please the farmers.
Kunast has promised a “closer to nature” approach to farming and Schroeder added of her appointment: “It’s high time that we changed the course of agriculture. We want food safety through appropriate farming methods that are good for the environment.”
Kunast will head what the government promises to be a “super ministry” that will focus on food safety and consumer affairs.
