Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Dutch: Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit
Logo of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

Building of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Department overview
Formed2 September 1935; 88 years ago (1935-09-02)
JurisdictionKingdom of the Netherlands
HeadquartersBezuidenhoutseweg 73, The Hague, Netherlands
Employees1,000
Ministers responsible
Department executive
  • J.C. Goet, Secretary-General
WebsiteMinistry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Dutch: Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit; LNV) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for agricultural policy, food policy, food safety, fisheries, forestry, natural conservation and animal welfare. The Ministry was created in 1935 and in 2010 the department was merged with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and was named the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. The Ministry was reinstated in 2017; it is headed by the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Dutch: Minister van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit), a member of the Cabinet of the Netherlands. The last official Minister was Henk Staghouwer he quit his job as Minister on September 5, 2022. Because he felt he didn't fit the job.[1] Currently (as of September 5, 2022) Carola Schouten is acting Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. She does this alongside her other Minister job.
It may be noted here that despite its small size, the Netherlands is the worlds' second exporter of agricultural products, after the United States.[2]

Responsibilities[edit]

The Ministry was responsible for four fields of policy:

History[edit]

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 Agricultural Policy.[3] 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.

Organisation[edit]

The Ministry has currently one government agency and one directorate:

Government Agencies Responsibilities
Ministry of General Affairs Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
(Dutch: Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit)
NVWA Consumer protectionFood safetyGoods
TobaccoAnimal welfareVeterinary medicine
Habitat conservationOutdoor recreation
  • Directorate for Agriculture and Nature Policy

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Staghouwer stapt op als minister van Landbouw: 'Ben niet de juiste persoon'" (in Dutch). NOS. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  2. ^ List of leading global exporters of agricultural products in 2020, by country, Statista.com, retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. ^ Neelen et al. (2003), De bestuurlijk kaart van Nederland, p.69

External links[edit]