G7 Agriculture Ministers' Meeting – Özdemir received fellow ministers in Stuttgart

During the meeting, the agriculture ministers of the most important industrial nations exchanged views and information on urgent global matters related to the agri-food sector. The discussions focussed on Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine, the repercussions of this attack for Ukraine itself and the impact on global food security.

Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Solsky joined the G7 meeting

Ukraine’s Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solsky also came to Stuttgart and talked to his G7 colleagues about the consequences of the war for his country.

Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir said in Stuttgart: “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine dictated the focus of our meeting. Not only is climate change threatening food security, but the war has also increased the pressure on global food systems.” According to Özdemir, Putin’s war has exacerbated world hunger. He said: “We have given a pledge to support Ukraine with long-term measures. We will continue to ensure food supplies for the Ukrainian population and we will support the Ukrainian agricultural sector wherever possible. And we will help Ukraine to resume its agricultural exports.”

The discussions also addressed:

• sustainable global agricultural supply chains and the goals of sustainable agriculture;
• the opportunities and risks of new approaches in the agricultural sector, such as humus formation with carbon storage;
• the “silent pandemic”, i.e. the further spread of antimicrobial resistances; and
• the strengthening of the role played by inclusive and intergovernmental multi-stakeholder platforms, such as the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

A joint final communiqué on these topics was adopted. Statements and commitments from this document will be fed into the summit of the G7 heads of state and government, which is to be held at Schloss Elmau in June 2022.

At the closing press conference, Federal Minister Özdemir said: “We are against export bans and we call for markets to be kept open. We have also spoken with concern about the fact that some countries have imposed an export ban on wheat or palm oil. We urge all countries to meet their responsibilities.”

Continuing the work on combating hunger, climate change and the extinction of species

With a view to the implications of the climate crisis, Minister Özdemir said: “I am delighted that we have also reached a common understanding that we cannot solve crises by exacerbating others. It is clear to us that we must continue our work on combating hunger, climate change and the extinction of species.” He continued by saying that it was people from areas that had been worst hit by the climate crisis and biodiversity loss that were suffering most from hunger. He added: “The G7 want to take the lead at international level to outline pathways towards sustainable food systems. The right to food can only be implemented if we enable farmers all over the world to sustainably increase productivity and to strengthen resilient ecosystems.”

G7 Presidency rotates between members on an annual basis

The G7 consists of the democracies of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.S. The European Union is also represented at all G7 meetings. The Presidency rotates between members on an annual basis. At the beginning of 2022, Germany took over the Presidency from the United Kingdom, and will be succeeded by Japan in 2023.