Food and agriculture are subjects that affect all citizens directly. The BMEL’s main aims include promoting a balanced, healthy diet and safe foods, ensuring that everyday goods are safe, assisting in the development of clear consumer rights and helping to ensure that the agricultural sector is strong and able to perform the duties required of it. In our globablised world central political topics take on increasing international importance. This also applies to the BMEL areas of activity. The BMEL assumes a range of tasks in conjunction with negotiations and decisions within the European Union on agriculture, consumer policy or food as well as on questions of international co-operation like for instance global food, dismantling barriers in international trade, opening up new markets and, last but not least, good bilateral relations with countries on all continents. This work is supported by the BMEL staff in German embassies and representations across the globe. Germany’s agricultural exports are a solid foundation of the farming industry – even in times of crisis. A German farmer earns almost one in five euros from exports, the German food industry almost one in four. Hence exports are of major importance for German producers, for the creation of jobs and for the development of our rural areas. This requires ongoing efforts to dismantle any existing tariff, phytosanitary and veterinary law barriers as well as active market maintenance with flanking activities that involve policy-makers.