German farming goes green

The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, has announced a significant shift in agriculture policy as a result of BSE. Mr Schröder called for new priorities, based on consumer protection, accusing the German farm industry of focusing on profits at the expense of food safety. The appointment of Green politician Renate Kuenast to the agriculture ministry, which has been expanded to take on responsibility for a new food safety policy, is being seen as a move towards making German farming more ecological