The 'Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernaehrung (BLE)' (Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food) is an institution under public law established on the 2nd of August 1994 (see German Federal Law Gazette 'BGBl. I, p. 2018'). It combines the tasks of the former Federal Agency for Agricultural Market Organization (BALM) and Federal Office for Food and Forestry (BEF). The President and Vice-President of the BLE manage general affairs and represent the Agency in and out of court. The Administrative Council represents economic, administrative and consumer interests. It is supported by Consulting Committees for various product groups.

Functions:

• BLE takes up central bank advances for the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) even if the agency is not responsible for implementation of measures.
• BLE is active by virtue of the Emergency Food Supply Act and the Act that governs the Security of Food Supply with a view to the central planning und determination of production, stocks and consumption.
• BLE procures, manages and utilizes stocks of food and animal feedstuffs for both general stockkeeping and food stocks of the civil emergency reserve.
• BLE is the authorizing agency for cross border circulation of goods and services involving products of the food, agricultural and forestry industries.
• BLE collects contributions to the Sales Promotion Fund of the German Farming and Food Industries as well as duties pursuant to the Forestry Sales Promotion Act and the Fisheries Law.
• BLE is the competent agency for issuance of fishing licences in accordance with Art. 3, Sea Fishery Act, and for supervision of deep sea fishery outside coastal waters.
• BLE manages federal fishery protection vessels and fishery research vessels.
• BLE is the intervention board responsible for the European Union (EU) Common Market Organizations (CMO's): cereals, rice, dry feed, sugar, fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables, live plants and floral trade products, seeds, flax, hemp, hop, wine, wine alcohols, beef, pork and sheep meat, milk and milk products, fishery products and part of the CMO for fats.
• BLE also carries out specific tasks assigned by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BML) in Bonn, Germany.
• BLE field offices involved in quality control of fruit and vegetables are located in the German cities of Altenberg, Bad Reichenhall, Bremerhaven, Dresden, Forst, Frankfurt/Main (Frankfurt International Airport, wholesale market), Frankfurt/Oder, Furth im Wald, Hamburg (harbour, wholesale market), Koeln, Kuestrin - Kietz, Ludwigsdorf, Muenchen (wholesale market), Neugersdorf, Pomellen, Suben, Schirnding, Schoenberg and Waidhaus.
• BLE branch offices were established in the German cities of Hamburg, Mannheim, Muenchen and Weimar (plus another office in Berlin).

www.ble.de

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