The Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE) in Bonn-Mehlem is a federal agency in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). It has a total of around 1,700 employees throughout Germany and at sea. The BLE fulfills a wide range of tasks in the fields of agriculture, fisheries and nutrition: As a project management agency for the BMEL, it oversees federal programs as well as national and international research projects, cooperates with various transnational bodies and is involved in EU initiatives. On land and at sea, the BLE performs control tasks and supports EU-wide price stability as a market regulation authority and EU paying agency. In addition, the authority provides data, statistical evaluations and independent information, including through its Federal Agricultural Information Center (BZL) and Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE).