Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung - BLE)

The BLE is a German federal authority headquartered in Bonn operating under the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Established in 1995 through the merger of several agricultural and food-related agencies, BLE administers a wide range of federal programmes related to agriculture, food systems, forestry, fisheries, renewable resources, rural development, and sustainability regulation. The agency also serves as Germany’s competent authority for biomass and biofuel sustainability certification under EU renewable-energy legislation, overseeing certification systems and compliance frameworks tied to sustainable biomass production.