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Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Netherlands)
Encyclopedia
Ministry of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry or department of agriculture is a ministry or other government agency charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister for agriculture....
of the Netherlands
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
. On 14 October 2010, when the Rutte cabinet
Netherlands cabinet Rutte
The Rutte cabinet is the current Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Christian Democratic Appeal . The coalition is a minority cabinet, but is supported by the Party for Freedom to have a small majority in the House of...
took office, the department was merged with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs to form the new Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.
Responsibilities
The Ministry was responsible for four fields of policy:- AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and fisheries; - Natural conservationHabitat conservationHabitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
, open air recreation and national parkNational parkA national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s; - Food SafetyFood safetyFood safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
; - Rural development.
Organisation
The Ministry was headed by one Minister. Its main office was located in the centre of The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. The Ministry was divided into ten policy departments, which was headed by a governing council. The policy departments were responsible for: Industry and Trade, International Affairs, Juridical Affairs, Knowledge, Agriculture, Nature, Rural Affairs, Regional Affairs, Fishery and Food Quality and Animal Health.
It had several semi-independent services:
- General Inspection Service, which was the control service of the ministry, which enforced rules on food quality, animal welfare and the environment.
- ICT services, which supported the partners of LNV in their ICT.
- Rural Areas Service, which was involved in projects for the development of rural areas
- Rules Service, which was concerned with the execution of several specific fields of policy.
- Plant Health Service
- Food and Goods Authority, which controlled the quality of food. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports can also give orders to the Food and Goods Authority.
History
The Ministry was established as a separate ministry, called "Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries", in 1935. Agriculture and fisheries policy had previously been integrated into the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and later into the Ministry of Water, Trade and Industry.After the Second World War the Ministry became responsible for the rationing of food and the reconstruction of the agricultural sector. As such it became much more important. Between 1946 and 1982 the ministry was a "client"-oriented ministry, oriented at the development of the agriculture sector in accordance to the European Common Agriculture Policy. In 1982 the ministry also became responsible for natural conservation and open air recreation, which used to be part of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Culture, Recreation and Social Work. As such it became more focused on sustainable development of the agricultural sector.
In 2003 the Food and Goods Authority became part of the ministry, which was renamed Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
Ministers
Since 1989 the following politicians have been minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality- 2007-2010 Gerda VerburgGerda VerburgGerritje Verburg is a Dutch diplomat and former politician and trade union leader. Since July 1, 2011 she is Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, succeeding former CDA politician Agnes van Ardenne...
(CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
) - 2002-2007 Cees VeermanCees VeermanCornelis Pieter Veerman is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal. He served as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality from July 22, 2002 until February 22, 2007.-Early life:...
(CDA)- 2002 Jan Odink (LPF; state secretary)
- 1999-2002 Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (D66)
- 1998-1999 Hayo Apotheker (D66)
- 1998-2002 Geke FaberGeke FaberGeke Faber is a Dutch politician.-References:...
(PvdA; state secretary)
- 1998-2002 Geke Faber
- 1994-1998 Jozias van AartsenJozias van AartsenJozias Johannes van Aartsen is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Mayor of the Hague since March 27, 2008....
(VVD) - 1990-1994 Piet BukmanPiet BukmanPieter Bukman is a former Dutch politician.He was President of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, first chairman of the Dutch Christian Democratic Appeal and second President of the European People's Party from 1985 to 1987.-References:...
(CDA)- 1990-1994 Dzsingisz Gabor (CDA)
- 1989-1990 Gerrit BraksGerrit BraksGerardus Johannes Maria Braks is a retired Dutch politician.He was a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal and was president of the Senate from 2001 until 2003. He succeeded Frits Korthals Altes.- References :...
(CDA)