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New German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer: A practitioner for decent genetic engineering regulations?

Alois Rainer. Photo: Inga Haar

Alexander Hissting, Managing Director of the Association Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG), congratulates the designated minister on his new office: "As a practitioner from down-to-earth Bavarian food production, master butcher Alois Rainer should have the interests of the food industry well in mind when it comes to genetic engineering. He is therefore predestined to advocate sensible regulations for new genetic engineering (NGT). Among other things, this includes transparent traceability and comprehensive mandatory labeling along the entire value chain, including all NGT plants and products made from them.

Ensuring freedom from genetic engineering has always been particularly important for Bavaria and the Bavarian food industry. Alois Rainer's predecessors in office from the CSU have always consistently pursued this course at the national level. In 2009, for example, Ilse Aigner launched the government-run “Ohne GenTechnik” (Non-GMO) seal as CSU Agriculture Minister. VLOG has therefore been closely associated with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture from the very beginning. We look forward to a good cooperation!"

Alois Rainer has been a directly elected CSU Member of Parliament for the Straubing constituency in Lower Bavaria since 2013. The trained master butcher is still active in the family business with an associated restaurant. In the last Bundestag, he was Chairman of the Financial Committee and previously a member of the Committee on Food and Agriculture, among others. On 28 April 2025, he was named as the future German Minister for Food, Agriculture and Home Affairs in the new "Black-Red" government under Friedrich Merz.

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