Bilateral meeting with H.E. Alois Rainer, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Identities of the Federal Republic of Germany

Rome - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met today with H.E. Alois Rainer, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Identities of the Federal Republic of Germany, at FAO Headquarters in Rome.

The Director-General warmly welcomed the Minister and expressed appreciation for Germany’s long-standing engagement and commitment to FAO. He detailed the wide range of work that FAO had pioneered in recent years, giving special mention to the establishment of the FAO Office of Youth and Women. In addition, he noted that 2026 had been established as The International Year of the Woman Farmer, advancing visibility and support for women across agrifood systems worldwide.

The Minister conveyed his agreement on the importance of the International Year and shared his personal background growing up in the Bavaria Region among smallholder farmers, stressing that his roots shaped his strong attachment to rural communities and practical food production. He also thanked the Director-General for FAO’s active participation in the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin.

The Director-General conveyed his hope to further deepen FAO’s cooperation with Germany. He stressed the essential role of German scientific leadership, particularly in soil science, and of the role of the German private sector in supporting innovation and transformation across agrifood systems. He also emphasized the nascent FAO Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP‑TADs), which crucially needed the support of all Members to collectively face this joint challenge. The Director-General also referred to the FAO One Health Ministerial Conference in September 2026, and to the annual World Food Forum (WFF) in October 2026, as key platforms for Members.

Minister Rainer agreed on the serious threat of transboundary animal diseases and emphasized that animal health was a central priority for Germany and further referred to the potential for enhanced collaboration between FAO and German institutions such as through the renowned Friedrich‑Loeffler‑Institut. He described the spread of avian influenza and African swine fever in Europe, noting that global cooperation was necessary to build national and regional capacities and to enable countries to learn from one another. Turning to plant health, the Minister underlined the necessity to ensure that farmers had practical and accessible tools to maintain productivity and described his approach as one that preserved valuable traditions whilst embracing new opportunities and innovations.

The Director-General underscored the potential synergy for FAO and Germany to double down on key areas of interest such as technology and innovation, food safety, encouraging youth participation in agrifood systems, and water.

The pair agreed on the primary goal of ensuring food security for all and reaffirmed their firm commitment to working towards a world free from hunger and malnutrition, recognizing that this required collective efforts for the transformation of agrifood systems.